A tactician's adventure
by PozzyP
Summary: "And there was me thinking nothing could go wrong." She could understand the pipes being clogged in her room. Everyone thinking her and the other Robin were siblings or married. Even losing matches due to poor planning seemed Ok in comparison. What she couldn't understand was how can you be a tactician if a certain opponent can predict your every move?
1. The train to Smash

Super Smash bros- regular speech

_Super Smash bros- _thought

Super S_mash _bros- word emphasised

**Super smash bros- **heavy emphasis

(Super smash bros)- extra detail/description

Told in first person view as Robin (female)

As surprised as I was that I had been invited to perhaps the greatest fighting tournament in the universe, nay the multiverse, I did think to myself that I had a shot to be one of the best. Master tactician? Check. Tome with countless powerful spells. Check. Nothing could go wrong. Oh how wrong I was! It was before I even got to the Smash mansion that things started to go wrong; I had just said my farewells to Lucina and Chrom:

"Don't just do us proud Robin, do _yourself_ proud," Lucina said, pulling me into an embrace. "Do that and you'll have nothing to fear."

_"Famous last words. _Thank you, Lucina. I'll do my best," I said, returning the hug. "I'm just sad that you can't come with me. Take a little piece of home to keep me company."

"I'm not sure you'll be totally alone…" Chrom suggested.

"Huh?" I exclaimed, gently pushing Lucina away. I didn't understand what he could mean.

"I've heard," he continued. "That you're not the only one from our world to be invited."

"But…who could possibly be more worthy of a place than you two?"

"You're about to find out," Lucina announced, pointing behind me. I turned (a considerable feat considering how heavy my coat was) to where she was gesturing and gasped. It was a train of several carriages, but floating clear off the ground by at least a metre. As it drew closer I began to make out a symbol embossed into the main locomotive. I reached around in my coat until I found my official letter of acceptance and turned it over. The same symbol of a circle with two perpendicular lines struck through was stamped on.

"Well…I guess this is it." I raised an eyebrow and sighed when the doors of the foremost compartment opened.

"Don't think of it like that," Chrom said, holding out his hand. "This is a great opportunity for you and at the very least you can meet some new people to forge alliances with. Just have fun."

"Yeah you're right! I said, brushing away the clouds of doubts. "I won't let you down!" I shook his outstretched hand before turning away. That train looked ever so imposing but it was now or never. My mind made up, I stepped aboard.

"Don't forget to write!" Lucina yelled up at me, waving her hand as the train began to leave.

"I won't! Goodbye!" I waved to the sword users who were rapidly shrinking in size below me. Either that or the train had gotten bored of waiting and taken off before I'd even properly stepped inside.

_"Just me now." _I thought before realising that the door was still open even as we ascended. In the interest of not getting thrown out of the competition before I'd even arrived, I closed the doors behind me and turned, only to come face to face with a green skinned humanoid, dressed up in a conductor's uniform.

"Arrgh 'ello there Lass!" He boomed, shaking my hand a little too vigorously for my liking. "Th' names Kapp'n!"

"Robin," I said, tentatively shaking his hand back.

"Eh?" He said, puzzled. "Well there can't be two of yer can there?"

"Huh?"

"Yeh I met 'nother guy jus' like you not 5 minutes ago. Come teh think of it…" He paused, scratching his chin whilst eyeing me suspiciously. "'is name wus Robin as well."

"His?" I queried, not liking where this was going.

"Hm? Yeah but nuff said 'bout that, har har!" He exclaimed, finally letting my hand go. "Could I see yer letter?"

"My what? Oh right." I dug around in my pockets, panicking slightly when I couldn't immediately locate it. After some time (with Kapp'n waiting patiently) I eventually located it in one of the deeper pockets, just to ensure I didn't lose it: it was, after all, my lifeline into Smash bros. I was immediately reassured when I felt its familiar papery texture brush against my fingers and was somewhat reluctant to hand it over, even though I knew it had to be done. It appeared my fears were unfounded as Kapp'n quickly handed it back over within seconds of me giving it to him.

"Har well it looks like yer good to go! Coulda sworn I've seen ya before though…anyway take yourself a seat, we're arrivin' shortly!" Before I could even thank him for his time the strange creature had wandered into the next carriage leaving me half tempted to follow, just to find out just what he meant be 'him'". Was there a male version of me here as well? Was his Lucina also male with Chrom as female? I tried not to think about it and instead took a seat by the window of the nicely decorated compartment. Soon, however, the thoughts came drifting back.

_"Maybe Kapp'n just mistook me for another one of the smashers? He doesn't exactly look like the brightest spell in the book. Or is it tome? I've got to remember the correct terminology if I'm to even stand a chance of competing, let alone winning." _I sighed for the umpteenth time, resigning to stare out of the window as we travelled high above sky, traversing more worlds than I thought even existed. Each one more beautiful than the last, I couldn't help but let my mouth hang open in a very un-lady like fashion at the splendour of it all.

I could make out worlds of jungle and pure water. Rock and ice. We briefly passed a world of open grass plains and towering rock formations that looked like it was straight out of a story book. Simply beautiful. Though it could've been just my imagination I swore I could've seen a figure with blond hair and red jacket waving up at me from the surface. I tentatively waved back before realising that it was impossible he could have seen me.

_"Oh well. It's not like I'll ever see him again." _I concentrated once more on the scenes unfolding below me, just catching a glimpse of a world of candy and sweets swing by before we were off again. There weren't really any more interesting ones after that but the one with the red grass and city enclosed inside a dome of glass really did impress me. _"The architecture involved…,"_ I murmured before I was yet again whisked away to sights unseen.

It was another half an hour before I arrived and in that time nearly died of shock at eventually meeting the other Robin. He didn't just look like me, he spoke like me, wore the same coat and carried the same tome. I've seen many a strange sight but meeting…myself…was off the scale. It became way too awkward for us to talk as our experiences were pretty much identical except for romance and neither of us were prepared to go there. Toward the end we couldn't even make eye contact for fear of questions that we inevitably knew the answers to. Lucina being there really didn't help matters. She was apparently the Lucina from the other Robin's world which annoyed me to no end.

_"How come she gets to be here and my Lucina doesn't! How do they decide if they're literally the same person?! Same could be said for me and…me. This is too weird…and I haven't even arrived yet."_

As if on cue I felt the train jar unpleasantly to a stop, noticing the other Robin mirror exactly my reaction. _"Creepy". _The doors at the end slid open, letting in a golden light that suddenly made me want to hide. _"I don't deserve to be here. I'm not worthy. Hell they probably invited that other Robin to replace me at some point." _Never-the-less I followed out other Robin and his Lucina, almost hiding behind them so I could just melt away and be ignored by the veterans. If only I could've been so lucky.

**A/N You're probably going to get a lot of cliff hangers 'cos I love them so much. This is my first time writing smash bros but I've wanted to write this ever since a certain character was revealed...who I'm not going to say (yet). Please review just so I know what I did well/ could do better on. (For fans of my other story sequel don't worry! I'm just brainstorming ideas so bear with me!)**

**See you on chapter 2.**

**Ps if anyone gets the references to the places Robin briefly saw you get all my respect!**


	2. Meeting the Master

My hopes of just quietly slipping past the substantial gathering outside of the train were pretty much immediately squashed: My idea of just hiding behind the other Robin and sneak past were thrown out the window when he bent down to take a stone out of his shoe, leaving me out in the open.

"Oh so there's two of them!"

"Are they brother and sister?"

"Finally some more female representatives."

_"Don't these guys have anything better to do?" _I wanted to yell but kept myself quiet. I know from experience first impressions are everything and seeing these are the people who are going to be trying to 'kill' me I wanted to at least be civil.

"So…what are your names?" My thoughts interrupted, I turned to the owner of the voice who was wearing a green shirt and overalls complete with green hat.

"Robin." We both said at the same time. We exchanged looks before looking away, embarrassed.

"And I'm Lucina," the swordswoman hastily added, just to save both of us from some confused looks.

"Hm…you look familiar," the green man pondered. "We haven't met before have we?"

"No, Luigi, you're thinking of Marth," a woman in royal dress said.

"Marth? You mean **the **Marth?! The hero king himself?!" Lucina stammered. Me and the other Robin were equally surprised. Maybe that's who Chrom had meant.

"Yes there's time for introductions later but right now I would assume Master hand would like to speak with you in his office." I turned slightly to a figure who was at least 6'5 and clad in orange armour plating. "Allow me to escort you before things get…out of hand."

"Out of hand?" I queried…him or her (I really couldn't tell what gender whoever wearing the suit was, especially with their visor down).

"Yes out of hand. Observe," It gestured to the train doors which had swung back open to reveal someone I hadn't actually seen even when on the train. He was nearly as tall as 'robot suit figure' but was clad in blue instead of orange and wore a futuristic looking helmet on top.

"It's Falcon punching time!" He yelled, before somersaulting off the edge of the train.

"Let's go!" The robot suit said, hastily clearing a path through the fighters and beckoning us to follow. As I half walked/ was half dragged along with other Robin and Lucina by the robot suit I could make out various murmurs of approval at the man's arrival.

"Good to have you back, captain!"

"It's about time!"

"How's it been ol' buddy?" I figured the man called 'Falcon' had been here before but for some reason I didn't ask the robot suit person about it. Although I couldn't see his/her face I could tell by the speed they were dragging us that they didn't particularly fancy talking to him. I didn't really think about it too hard as during the time I'd been thinking we'd arrived in the main hall of the mansion; it really did take my breath away.

The ceiling was as tall as the heavens, supported by spiralling marble columns with intricate carvings of (presumably) famous people on show. In the centre there was a great fountain whose water was the clearest I'd ever seen. For the second time I wondered if I had any right to be here. Here I was standing amongst heroes and saviours and I couldn't see any way I could fit in with them. Sure I'd defeat Grima and his followers but that was down to my team, not me.

Glancing over at the other Robin I could tell by his expression he was thinking the same thing. However, as much as I loved to have pondered over our inherent similarities I felt a great pressure being released from my shoulder and realised that 'Robot suit' had stopped dragging me. Which meant…_"Oh God we're here." _I looked up in awe of the huge double doors that had the label 'Master Hand ESQ, director in charge of SSB.'

"If these are the just the doors then imagine how big he is," Lucina murmured.

"You don't need to imagine. Go in," 'Robot suit' stated before turning on its heel and walking away.

"Wait you're not coming with us?" The other Robin said, surprised and (if I heard correctly) slightly anxious.

"No need," it said, continuing to abandon us.

"Wait!" I called but if anything it quickened its pace. "No I don't want you to come in if you don't want, I just wanted to ask you something!" I called (slightly louder now that it was further away.) At this 'it' stopped but didn't turn around.

"…Make it quick."

"I just wanted to ask your name…and to thank you for helping us." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lucina and other Robin exchange glances.

"…Samus," it stated, before continuing back down the hall, albeit at a slower pace. I had hoped to learn the gender of the occupant of the suit but 'Samus' wasn't one I'd heard and so could assume nothing. Oh well! Turning back to the other's I said:

"We better go in. We've delayed enough and I don't want our first impression to be one of lateness."

"Quite," other Robin agreed, though I could hear from the tone of his voice that he held me responsible for any 'lateness' that was incurred.

_"Well excuse me for wanting to be polite!" _I thought. Shrugging it off I helped Lucina push open the formidable double doors that would lead to who knows what. Apart from the letter I had no indication of what this 'Master hand' would look like. Judging by the door I assumed he'd be big but at least humanoid. Well that got thrown out of the window when I actually set eyes on him. I'd just thought that 'Master' was a substitute for Mr. but now I think master would be more appropriate. He was literally a giant hand. A giant, floating, white gloved hand.

**"Are you surprised?" **He asked in an authoritative, but not overtly loud voice. We looked around, confused, at who'd spoken. It couldn't be the hand, could it? It didn't have a mouth or vocal chords.

**"Yes, I'm the one who's addressing you." **Well apparently it could.

"Sorry!" The other Robin bowed hastily, maybe to cover up his flush. "It's…it's just not what I expected."

**"You need not bow, Robin," **he boomed. **"Besides it rarely is what people expect. Even the veteran's had quite a shock when I first contacted them. Luigi's face…anyway." **I thought back to the square where I could vaguely recall a man in green that someone had called Luigi. He seemed nice. **"Do you know why you're here?" **Both the other Robin and Lucina nodded. I wanted to join them but felt held back. Master hand picked up on this almost immediately. **"Hmm? You do not agree, Robin?" **

"It's just…" I was at a loss really as to why I was here. "It's just that you already have a Robin here." I gestured to my male counterpart. "And his own Lucina. Why am I here? And if I am to stay then how come his Lucina got picked over mine if they're literally the same person?! Please I have to know!"

**"So many questions." **He said. **"For later I think but now to business!"** After all that? That was his response? No explanation or anything? I sat through the rest of his explanation of the match rotor and the multiman/ simulation room in silence, though it was a very awkward silence at that. Robin and Lucina couldn't even bring themselves to look at me after that. I guess I made them feel kind of bad by yelling like that. 'Kind of bad' doesn't really cover it. I don't think I'll ever forget the look of hurt in Lucina's eyes when I suggest she wasn't worthy of competing. I should probably apologise, but later. Master hand was giving out important information.

_"Important information I haven't even been listening to! Maybe I can just catch…"_

**"…And that concludes the basic presentation. Any questions?"**

_"…Damn it."_

**"No? Excellent! You have one day to get settled in before you start your matches. I would wish you luck but I don't think you need it. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me."**

"Yes, Sir," the other Robin said, bowing again.

**"You really don't need to bow, Robin."**

"Sorry, sorry!" He apologised. "Force of habit."

**"Indeed. Your room is on the second floor. I'll send someone to show you."**

"Thank you, Sir," Lucina said, though taking his advice on not bowing. I turned to follow them as they left but Master hand called me back.

**"A moment, Robin." **The other Robin turned back but was assured by his Lucina that it was me he was referring to. Oh how I envy them. I returned to my seat but was careful not to let my annoyance show. **"I understand you have some questions"**

"Well you already heard most of them earlier."

**"Indeed. You want to know why you're here."**

_"Was he deliberately trying to drag this out? He's going to have to tell me at some point so why make it slower and more painful? _Yes. Having two versions of the same person here doesn't make sense."

"**Well that's simple. You both deserve to be here," **he said, simply.

"But aren't I just taking up another potential fighter's place?"

**"You need to stop thinking so lowly of yourself, Robin."**

"Stop calling me Robin! That other man's name is Robin and he even had his own Lucina here as well. At least they have each other to talk to here. I have…no one."

**"That's what this tournament is all about!" **He chided. **"Forging new friendships that will last forever. So what if the other Robin has someone that you don't. You're surrounded by people that are the very best of their kind and are more than willing to be your friend. Don't use not having someone here as an excuse as not to participate!"**

"Still…how come it isn't MY Lucina that got invited." Although there was a lot of sense in what he was saying to me I was still annoyed.

**"They're the same person in almost every respect."**

"Key word here being 'almost'. The only difference between me and the other Robin is gender. Is that the only reason I'm here?"

"**…No."**

"I'm sorry?" I'd expected some sort of poor excuse and general muttering but I was in no way expecting that.

"**I said no." **He sighed slowly. **"Robin…I watch not only this universe but the rest of the multiverse as well. I've seen many different versions of events come to pass. Some good, some not so good. Can you imagine what it is like trying to pick between your favourite foods or friends? That's what I've got to do on a daily basis. So what if you and Robin have very similar experiences? That doesn't make you any less important. Out of all the versions of your history, out of all the pain and suffering I had to watch, you inspired me the most. You said 'no' to the future and did what you thought was right no matter the cost. You of all people deserve to be here."**

"_…I never thought of it like that…hang on! _So if you watch over the multiverse then there should be millions of equally deserving Robins out there who didn't get picked."

**"There's also probably a universe where people actually understand the multiverse principals before making accusations like that."**

"Oh I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

**"I forgive you, Robin. No two universes are exactly the same and when you spend your entire life watching over them all then you have the right to decide who is worthy. Anymore questions?" **After all of that I don't think I could give any more questions, even if I wanted to.

"No…you've helped me to see this isn't an opportunity to complain about what hasn't been done, but to appreciate what gifts we've been given to us. Thank you.

**"Just glad I could help." **If it was possible for him to smile, I'm sure he'd be doing it. **"Dinner starts at 6.30. I hope to see you there. Now, however, I suggest you find your room. Some downtime is in order after all the excitement of the day."**

"I couldn't agree more." I allowed myself a rare smile before continuing. "Thank you again!"

**"Any time." **I got up out of the chair, stretching myself in the process. I hadn't realised how long I'd been sitting and was consequently starting to ache. I left the office feeling a lot happier about my time at the mansion (failing to realise the advice Master hand had given me was almost identical to Chrom's.) I strolled back down the hall in the direction Samus had gone before a sinking feeling started in the pit of my stomach.

_"Which way do I go?_" I looked left. Long corridor with several doors. I looked right. More rooms with several doors. I sighed, knowing that everything was going too smoothly to be the whole picture. In my haste to leave Master hand's office I'd forgotten to ask where my room was.

**A/N: Oh Robin, won't anything go right for you? I hope you understood Master hand's explanation for the two Robins as ever since they were announced I knew I'd have to write about it. I portrayed Samus's feelings towards Captain Falcon as a reserved kind of respect but with a fair share of annoyance. I can just really image Samus getting annoyed at him lirting or something. **

**Thanks to all you cool people who favourited/ followed and an extra special thank you to the guest reviewer. You made my day sir/madame! Stay tuned for part 3. Does Robin find her room mate? Find out next time!**


	3. Code 9

"_Well this is just perfect," _I thought. _"I've taken up enough of Master hand's time already and besides…why do I get the feeling there's something he's not telling me? There's just something…missing with whatever he's telling me about the other Robin and Lucina. That can wait. Now there are more pressing matters at hand; I'm just going to have to figure out where my room is by other means."_ By 'other means' even I wasn't sure what I meant. I barely knew any of the smashers, let alone their names. Of the 3 I did I could only really ask 1: If I asked Captain Falcon then I'm sure that would annoy Samus for whatever reason and I got the feeling Samus was someone not to get on the bad side of.

Likewise if I went to Samus then I'd have to deal with his/her distant atmosphere. It hadn't gone unnoticed by me that Samus was shot some weird looks by the others for offering to help and I really didn't want to draw any more attention then I already had. Rule 1 of being a tactician: don't draw unnecessary attention. That left me with Luigi. He was the first person to talk to me and was by far the nicest I'd met. I'm sure all the others were nice as well but it's good to build on what you know first and then try new things later.

My mind made up, I tugged my coat closer around me and set off left down the hall. I'd just reached the stairs when I saw a potential person I could I ask enter through the side door of the floor below. If I could ask him then I wouldn't have to go and find Luigi which could take hours considering the size of the place.

"Hey wait!" I yelled to the figure, running down the steps two at a time.

"Eh?" The first thing I noticed was the smell. I hadn't even gotten within a metre of him and was hit by a wall of decaying vegetable matter. This guy absolutely reeked of garlic for some reason but I couldn't very well back down now that I'd got his attention, could I? "What d'ya want girlie?"

"Umm…" No one called me that and I was taken aback by his rudeness. For someone wearing motorcycle goggles and was at least a foot shorter than me, he sure was intimidating.

"I-I was just wondering if you could…"

"D'ya got any money?" He cut me off whilst (I can't believe I'm saying this) PICKING HIS NOSE!

"No I don…"

"Or garlic?"

"Well no…"

"THEN SCRAM! I'm busy." And with that he continued walking but then stopping after a few feet. I wondered if he'd changed his mind, only for him to squat slightly and release the most abominable, noxious gas from his backside that instantly made me feel dizzy. I hadn't even been planning to stick around and press him for answers to where my room was after his rudeness, but with that cloud of death rapidly approaching I knew it was time to go. With my coat on I'm not the fastest runner but I love this coat and would never abandon it, even in dire times. Mind you, dire times doesn't even cover what was following me, however, and I could gradually feel the fumes engulfing me. _"What the hell does this guy eat? Toxic waste?!" _Though my eyes were starting to water I could just make out a side door in front of me. _"20 metres. 10 metres. Almost there._"

I would of got there too if the door hadn't opened outward from the other side and hit me straight in the face. I collapsed on the floor, feeling my Levin sword skitter away from me across the marble floor and into the oncoming wall of gas that was rapidly approaching. My vision hazy from the impact I could just make out a figure framed in the door way. They quickly bent down and lifted me up, bridal style, and proceed to run as fast as they could in the opposite direction to the gas. After the first 3 doors, my vision returned enough to see who it was who was carrying me.

He wore dark combat trousers, clad in an army jacket of sorts with a futuristic looking gun strapped to his side. Oh yeah I forgot to say…he's a fox.

_"He must be pretty strong to carry me like this." _I thought as we raced down corridors, ignoring that this animal was running on two legs. Zig-zagging haphazardly in an effort to lose the smell, after some time he gradually slowed down to a jog before stopping to ask.

"Can you stand?" As shocked as I was at seeing the fox **talking **I didn't want to appear rude and so said:

"Y-yes I believe so." At this he gently set me down, letting me notice for the first time that he was quite a bit shorter than me, though he did stand tall, almost militarily so. "Thank you very much for saving me."

"No problem. You must forgive me for hitting you in the face beforehand." I'd completely forgotten but it was nice for him to apologise.

"I'm just glad you were there. What was that…that cloud?"

"Code 9." He said not missing a beat.

"Huh?"

"The man you just encountered was Wario. He isn't pleasant at the best of times but occasionally he can…get even more unpleasant. You're lucky I happened to be there when I was. That cloud would have taken you out of this tournament before you'd even started." Though he'd just admitted I could have been out before I'd even started, his manner was very formal like reading out of a text book. Strange.

"Well thank you Mr… I'm sorry I don't believe we've met."

"Fox."

"Well thank you Mr Fox for probably saving my chances while I'm here."

"No problem. And it's just Fox." After this I bowed, like the other Robin had done in Master hand's office as was customary to people we feel indebted, and turned to go back down the hall. Fox, however, grabbed my hand which was unsurprisingly furry. "Sorry Ma'am but it's best to leave that area clear for a few hours."

"But…but my sword is still in there. I dropped it when you bumped into me." I protested.

"I'm very sorry but I think you should wait until after tea. Besides no one here would take it. _Except maybe Wario if he thought he could sell it." _

"Well…alright."

"Good. Now you should come with me to warn the others of the code 9. That cloud will hang around for a long time and we can't risk anyone else running into it."

_"This could be my chance! With everybody gathered in one place I can ask about my room. If not I can at least get acquainted with everyone. It'll be a good start either way." _As I walked down the hallway I began to exchange friendly small talk with Fox. I learned of his team 'Starfox' protecting the Lylat system and his team member Falco also taking part in the tournament.

He also told me of his desire to find his out about his father, something I could relate to. I had never had any parents of my own but had spent enough time around Chrom and Lucina to know of the importance of family. I was considering telling him about my past to pass the time but by the time I'd worked up the courage we'd already arrived back out in the courtyard.

The train was gone but some of the smashers were still out and about, some chatting to each other, some training over by the lake I hadn't noticed earlier. Some were just milling around aimlessly, seemingly content to just watch the clouds. I would've been happy to do the same but I knew I still had to find out where my room was.

Fox steered us over to a small group made up of 4 people. The one in the middle looked like some sort of angel, complete with wings, only he looked only about 15 and was joking around with another boy who wore a red baseball cap and stripy shirt. The other two were deep in discussion and I recognised one of them as Luigi and the other was the lady with brown hair who'd corrected him on Marth's identity earlier. Seeing us approaching, they stopped and turned.

"Greetings Fox and…Robin wasn't it?" The woman said.

_"Well at least someone knows my name. _Yes it is…what's your name?" I asked, not one to pass up an opportunity to make friends.

"Zelda, princess of Hyrule," she replied, shaking my hand with surprising strength for one so delicate looking. "And this is Pit." She gestured to the angel boy.

"Hello there!"

"And that's Ness." She pointed to the cap wearing boy.

"Sup?"

_"What's with his accent? I can barely understand him."_

"And I believe you'd already met Luigi."

"Ah yes just the person I wanted to see," I said.

"Y-you wanted to see m-me?" He stuttered, for some reason unable to meet my eye. _"What's the matter with him? Has he just realised I'm a woman and therefore can't talk straight. Weird."_

"Yes I was hoping you could help me find my…"

"Sorry but there are more pressing matters at hand," Fox interjected. Normally I'd have been taken aback at his discourtesy but I knew full well that whatever had transpired in the main hall was serious enough to warrant it.

"Cool down, Fox," Pit said, raising an eyebrow. "What's the matter?"

"Code 9. Mega Wario waft in the main hall." It was like a switch had been flipped. One second everyone was calm and the next…chaos. Luigi practically jumped out of his skin and hid behind Zelda while Ness and Pit covered their noses with their arms. Zelda remained calm but still looked utterly disgusted.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Robin and I witnessed it."

"And there was me thinking we could get through a tournament without this happening." Ness sighed, holding out his cap for Pit to consider vomiting into.

"So this has happened before?" I asked, almost afraid to know more.

"In the tournament where Wario joined us he farted all over us the second he decided to appear. The exact second!" Zelda fumed. "Samus said it took her 11 washes to get the smell out of her zero suit. We'd better warn the others."

"My thoughts exactly," Fox agreed. "Pit, Ness take east side. Zelda and I will take west."

"Yes 'boss'," Pit replied, not without a hint of sarcasm. Handing back Ness's hat (after deciding not thrown up in it) the two set off in the opposite direction to Fox who'd already left with Zelda.

_"Well there goes my chances of finding my room." _I turned to leave, resolving to find my own way to my room when small cough brought me back to my senses. "Luigi! You're…still here. Why?"

"Well um…Fox didn't tell me to do anything and I probably wouldn't be much help anyway. Plus you said you wanted help with something."

"Yes that's right. Thanks Luigi!" Despite his disturbing lack of self-belief I knew he was good person at heart. Not unlike Tharja. "Now…do you know where in the mansion my room is located?" He scratched the back of his head, looking around nervously.

"W-well there's an information board inside which'll probably tell you."

"Can you take me?" He looked at me like I'd just asked him to resurrect Grima and serve him.

"Um…no. The information board's in the main hall…"

"…Where all of that gas is," I finished. "Well that's just great. Is there anyone else who might know?"

"Your roommate will."

_"ROOMMATE!?" _The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. "Do you know who my roommate is?"

"No but you could find out from the inf…oh right…ummm." I was slowly realising why Fox had decided to leave Luigi behind. He was next to useless, even if he was nice.

"Well is there anyone who would know?"

"Pr-probably. Maybe."

"Well **maybe **you can help me look?" I said, gritting me teeth. This guy would no doubt make a terrible tactician.

"We'll ask Lucario." He said, giving me some actually useful information for once. "He's very well informed for…reasons."

"Great!" I beamed, causing him to look awkwardly down. "Where's this 'Lucario'."

"Here." A voice echoed, causing Luigi to look for cover. I went for my sword, only to realise it was still in the hall.

"Show yourself!" I said with not nearly as much confidence as I had.

"Do not be afraid." It said. A figure, standing on the roof of the lowest level somersaulted off and landed next to me, which Luigi jumped (unsurprisingly) at. Lucario (I assume this is who Luigi meant) was blue around the face and legs with a cream patch in the centre. The black eye mask was odd to say the least but I was willing to let it slide. "You require my help?"

"Yes…but how did you know? Were you spying on us?" I asked, possibly a bit too threateningly. Lucario was unfazed which relieved me greatly.

"No. Your aura told of questioning and I'm aware when my name is being mentioned."

"Well ok. _Must be some kind of magic. _I need help finding my roommate or my room. Whichever is easier."

"Objects are hard to trace but people are easy. Your roommate is Captain Olimar of the Hocotate freight company. He's around the back of the mansion tending to his garden." He said before I could ask of the location. "I wonder how long you'll last…the record is 2 nights."

"Huh?!"

"Don't thank me." And with that he vanished, quite literally into thin air. I actually had wanted to thank him as he'd done more in 30 seconds than Luigi had done in nearly 10 minutes. I also wanted to ask what he'd said about not lasting long in a room with this 'Olimar'.

That small regret aside, I now had a lead on my room situation and was not going to let it slip through my fingers by wasting time: there was no guarantee Olimar would stay in his garden so I'd have to hurry. My mind made up, I ran back towards the mansion, leaving Luigi alone, confused and scratching his cap, trying to make sense of all the things that had just happened

* * *

><p><strong>Let's respond to reviews!<strong>

**Guest: Don't worry I'm planning to stick with this story for quite some time.**

**The composer: You must be psychic 'cos those are two of the things that will be main points of future chapters. The deal is that Master hand knows of Robin (M) and Lucina being together but didn't want t o antagonise Robin (F) anymore by telling her. Instead he used another fair argument but by not telling Robin (F)…let's just say that plan is going to blow up in his face at some point. Also the Robins will be interacting at some points (not all of it will be pleasant)**

**Mo hare: Don't you worry sir/madam! Shulk will appear soon but remember that he joined the battle at a later stage. I aim to have Robin battle at least 1 veteran before meeting him**

**General stuff: I like writing but the key part is interaction. I aim to create an environment you can picture so you can enjoy it more. This means the story may be slower paced than you're used to but this is just my style. After all it can't all be brawls and action right? The smashers interact with the characters and environment outside of the games right?**

**On the chapter. Anyone who watched brawls e3 trailer way back around 2007/08 will remember Wario using wario waft during his cutscene so that's what everyone was talking about here. I also wanted to make a joke at Robin being slow with that coat (he/she is really slow in game!) **

**I used Fox simply because I rarely see him used in the fics on this site and I do like to use him for battles. Why did I put Ness and Pit as pals? Come on! Physically (as well as mentally) they're roughly the same age and I can definitely imagine them getting on like some sort of comedy duo. Pit being the energetic one with Ness being more deadpan.**

**Next chapter: Robin finally meets her roommate and discovers why sharing a dormitory with him can be…unnerving. See you there folks!**


	4. Night terrors

It was lucky I didn't have to go back through the mansion as I'd had just about enough of getting lost (as impressive as the décor was). When Lucario had said 'garden' I thought of a small vegetable patch of 4, maybe 5, metres in area. Once again I was proved wrong: I walked around to the nether side of the mansion, only to be met with a wall of vegetation.

_"He said garden, not jungle! This really isn't what I was expecting but then again it rarely is. Golden rule of being a tactician is to adapt to the situation so adapt I shall." _I knew I couldn't cast an arcfire to burn through it without causing serious damage, and annoying the person I was going to share a room with was definitely not a good plan. Sighing, I resigned myself to just push onward through the mass of vines blocking my way.

_"If only I still had my levin sword then I could at least cut my way through. As soon as dinner has ended I'll make a beeline for it before someone else does. That Wario better not have…" _And that's when I tripped over a vine protruding out of the ground and promptly face-planted onto the damp earth. "_Rule 3 of being a tactician, never take your eye off the path. Fat lot of good that is now." _As I heaved myself upright I really did start to wonder about the coat I wore; it's just so darn heavy and made getting up much harder than was necessary. Luckily for me there was someone there to help me.

"Ahoy there, Miss!" The voice came from directly beside me but when I turned around there wasn't anyone there. "Down here, Miss. Blimey you took quite a fall there!" I looked down to see a petit figure clad in a miniature space suit with several even smaller animals surrounding him. "Are you alright, Miss?" He said, helping me up as much as he could (which wasn't much considering his size. Still it's the thought that counts).

"Yes, yes I'm fine," I replied, which I was save my coat getting all dirty and my pride slightly deflated. "But what's with all the plants?"

"Oh this…" He said, gesturing around to the positively towering plethora of plant life. "Just a small hobby of mine."

"Small?!"

"Yes…one which may've gotten a bit out of hand." He looked down, slightly embarrassed. "Some of the others have complained that my gardening is blocking the view out of there windows." I looked up and could see the sheer mass of trees was starting to obscure the skyline, even at the second floor. "Still, it's the only thing I can do to keep these little guys healthy."

"Guys?"

"Yes these little creatures here." He pointed to red, vegetable shaped, being with a little leaf on its head. "It's called a pikmin. They need to be in a familiar environment if they're to thrive. Though I'm afraid it's gotten out of hand." He looked down again, despondently.

"Don't say that, Olimar." I comforted though he was too small to put an arm around. Though I was slightly annoyed a being tripped by the unruliness, taking a proper look around I could see that the place was actually very beautiful. Lots of colour to offset the green.

"Thank you, Miss." He said, looking more cheerful now. "How do know my name anyway?"

"I was sent by Lucario. He said you were my roommate and would know where my room is."

"Oh so you're my new sleeping buddy! I wondered when you'd arrive, Miss."

"You don't have to call me 'Miss'. Robin will be fine."

"Oh so like the other fellow called Robin." I stiffened.

"Yes…just like him. Anyway could you take me to the room?"

"Later, Miss…Robin. Right now we should go to the dining hall for tea. I'll happily take you to the room afterwards." I would probably have argued that we should go to the room first so I at least knew where it was but it was then my stomach to decided to unleash some sort of demon and rumble like there was no tomorrow. I guess dinner first wouldn't be so bad after all. It had been a long day and my body needed its energy back; there was probably some sort of tactician's rule about not fighting on an empty stomach but at this stage I was too hungry to think.

The walk with Olimar to the dining hall was surprisingly pleasant if not depressing. He told me of his exploits travelling to distant planets in search of treasure to support the collapsing freight company back home. Putting himself in danger just to find some scrap metal worth less than a bucket of water. That's dedication right there. The walk in general would have been a lot more enjoyable if not for one thing (and no it wasn't Olimar's distressing tales of survival). 3 of those creatures he called pikmin were following him. Every corner we rounded, every door and arch we passed through they followed. AND THEY WOULDN'T STOP STARING AT ME!

Even though they appeared to be following Olimar, for some strange reason they never took their eyes off me. Those eyes were just so…unsettling. It was like they were accusing me of something. I tried to put it out of my mind by swapping small talk with the captain and turning away but I could feel their beady eyes burning into the back of my head.

At long last after about 10 minutes of continuous walking and having to put up with zombie like stares we finally made it. I have to say it was well worth the wait: through the set of double doors at the end of the corridor was a room about the size of a gymnasium with hundreds of tables piled high with every kind of food imaginable. It looked like we were some of the last people to enter as many people were helping themselves or chatting across the almost obnoxiously long tables. Scanning the room, I made a mental note to stay away from Wario, who was piling his plate high with a substance that looked suspiciously like garlic.

I noticed the other Robin and Lucina chatting happily away with Marth and…was that the radiant hero of legend, Ike?! This was so unfair! As much as I'd love to talk with two of the greatest people my world had ever known, it would just be awkward to sit near Robin and Lucina.

_"Damn it what am I missing?! Why do those two make feel so…uncomfortable?" _Oh well! Besides, I had to sit near Olimar in any case if I wanted to find my room later. Speaking of which…_"Where'd he go?!" _I must've got so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice the spaceman had run off to one of the buffets. I was only just able to keep up with him (damn this coat!) and finding him with all the people wandering around would be impossible. Luckily I caught up with him where he'd sat down next to Pit and a woman in her twenties with seriously long, green hair. On Pit's other side was Ness who was in deep discussion with Captain Falcon for some reason.

"Oh hey there, Robin!" Pit said with great enthusiasm when I finally walked over. "I'd like to introduce you to…"

"Pit, I think I can introduce myself don't you think?" The green haired woman said as I took a seat next to Olimar.

"Sorry lady Palutena!"

"Forgiven," she dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Now you must be the other Robin that everyone's been talking about."

"That's me", I said, not really sure whether everyone talking about me was good or not. "And you must be lady Palutena."

"Just Palutena." She laughed. "Pit's a bit sweet on me."

"I am not!" I noticed a slight blush form, though, when she said this. "I'm just respectful that's all!"

"Yes of course." She said, playfully. "Now back to you."

"Me?"

"Yes you, silly! How're you finding it here?"

"Um…" Honestly I wasn't expecting her to be so direct: Olimar had beaten around the bush a lot when we'd talked so someone asking straight questions for once put me slightly off balance. "Well it's certainly a lot to take in."

"There's no need to be so formal." She semi-scolded but I could see the spirited undercurrents. "It really blows your mind, doesn't it? All these people here from other worlds."

"Honestly…yes."

"Don't worry, I felt the same way when I first got here."

"You did?" Palutena looked like she fitted right in here. She could be part of the furniture she looked so in place. "When did you arrive?"

"About 2 weeks ago," she said, nonchalantly.

"2 weeks?!" I might have said that a bit too loudly as captain Falcon shushed me with a gloved finger. "B-but you look so…"

"At home?" She queried. "Yes but when I first got here believe it or not I was just like you. Wondering. Alone."

"Except for me, lady Palutena!" Pit chimed.

"Yes except for you, pit. But even if you don't have anyone here you can easily make friends. I'll make a start."

"You…want to be my friend?" I said, mouth slightly agape. "But we've only just met!"

"You've got to start somewhere and my judgement is always spot on." She took a moment to brush some of the stray green strands out of her face. "You stick with me and we can be newbies together."

"W-well thank you. Thank you very much!" It looked like I'd finally made my first friend. Sure I'd conversed with people and made some sort of alliances but that wasn't real friendship.

"Not a problem." She turned to Pit who immediately sat to attention. "Now in honour of our new found friendship, Pit, I think you better get some food for all of us."

"But…"

"I'll let you have ice cream later." Pit's gaze lit up. "And if you're very good I'll even let you throw it on the floor.

_"WHAT?"_

_"_Oh boy! I love floor ice cream." The angel boy took off to the end tables where Olimar (who I hadn't even realised had left the table) was frantically trying to gather up the pikmin that were running amok. Now I really was wondering about what Lucario had said about sharing a room with him. Dismissing the thought, I turned back to Palutena and engaged her and Ness in conversation. Little did I know this was by far one of the most normal thing that I'd experience tonight.

"Blimey Mr Game and Watch can cook," Olimar said as we walked back down the hall. I couldn't help but agree. The food Pit had brought over was simply the best I'd ever had and I was kind of sad we had to leave. Everyone else, however, was beginning to retire for the night anyway and so I had bid goodnight to Palutena and Pit, but not before he reminded me that my first match was tomorrow. That was a problem for another day quite literally considering I didn't even know who my opponent was.

"I forgot to ask, who's Mr Game and Watch?"

"Oh he's one of the fighters and our head chef."

"Oh"

"And he's also 2D."

"What?"

"Hm, oh yes he's completely flat," Olimar stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Normally he only cooks flat food but he's more than capable with 3D ingredients as well." I decided to just roll with it as ridiculous as it sounded. My head was already tired from the day's activities and tomorrow was my only chance to make a good impression to the smashers as a whole. No use trying to wrap my head around a 2D person at this hour at any rate. It was around 10 at night so it's safe to say I was anxious to get to sleep. Olimar seemed to sense this and quickened his pace (with creepy pikmin in tow) and we reached the dorm in no time at all.

The room itself was nicely lit and more spacious than I anticipated. There was some sort of science lab set up in one of the corners with a bed in the opposite corner. Through the door on the opposite side I could see another room that was exactly the same (minus the lab) and a bathroom off to the side. Everything I could hope for.

"What's with the science set up?" I asked.

"Oh that's what I use to synthesise the gaseous material that keeps me alive." Olimar said, wandering over to it.

"Huh?"

"The environment we're in is good for most people but toxic to me I'm afraid. Hence why I wear this spacesuit the whole time." Now that I thought about it I didn't actually see Olimar eat anything while we were dining. "The oxygen in the air that you breathe may be necessary to you to live but is poisonous to me. I have to eat specially synthesised material that I can inject directly so I don't come into contact with the environment. But enough about me! Time you got some sleep." He ushered me into the next room to where the other bed was. "You've got a big day tomorrow so I suggest you get some sleep. Nighty-night!" And with that he abruptly shut the door on me, leaving me in total darkness (before I found the lamp switch). That was weird but I guess kinda made sense. Olimar had to where that suit for a reason, right. Still doesn't explain the whole 'no one can spend the right within 100 metres of him' thing.

"I'm sure they're just messing with me," I muttered as I undressed. "Just trying to unnerve me before my first match that's all. Master hand hadn't been lying when he said the only thing I needed to bring was myself: the wardrobe in my room was basically a room in itself. I was only looking for pyjamas but I couldn't help but leaf through the many clothing items that were hanging. Casual, armour, party. You name it, it was there. Including pyjamas as I soon found. Slipping them on, I wandered back over to the bed, taking time to appreciate the feel of the plush carpet against my bare feet. Climbing into bed, I turned off the lamp which once again left me in total darkness. The bed was amazingly comfortable and I soon found my eyes becoming heavy. Unable (and unwilling) to resist, I soon drifted off…

_Scuffle, scuffle…_

My eyes snapped hazily open. I judged it was about 1 in the morning but that meant it wasn't time to wake up yet.

_Scuffle, scuffle…_

_"_Hello," I whispered, not allowing myself to be scared. "Is someone there?"

_Scuffle, scuffle…_**Creak. **I peered into the gloom and allowed my eyes to adjust. The door was now open the tiniest fraction.

"Olimar?" I hissed. At this, two small dots appeared by the door. Red in colour, I could feel them burning into me. Not unlike… "What the…?" One by one, more red dots were becoming visible until there were about 40 pairs at least. I tried to stay absolutely still: I daren't move a muscle lest that set those** things** off. What the hell were these things doing? Were they the pikmin? They were just standing there watching me. Assessing me. Understanding me.

The phrase 'and all hell broke loose' doesn't even begin to cover what happened next. All I did was cough slightly. Slightly too hard for them I guess because they immediately surged into the room. They were fast. Really, really fast. They'd already started to climb the bed frame by the time I decided it'd take too long to charge a thoron blast.

"Oh f**k!" They were starting to climb all over me, there eyes still glowing red and staring into my humanity. So I did the only natural thing: I ran. I dived out of the door, shaking as many of those things off me as I could and slammed my door behind me. I ran out of the dorm and into the hall. Was I safe? I turned around and almost had a heart attack when I saw them quietly staring again, daring me to make the first move. Never have I run so fast…

**A/N If any of you've played the pikmin games then you'll understand that oxygen is toxic to people like olimar, hence the spacesuit. Also in the game you had to return to base by night or the animals that came out at night would attack but I always speculated that there was another...sinister reason behind this. Now you know!**

**If you've played kid Icarus uprising then you'll get the 'floor icecream' joke no problem.**

**If you wouldn't mind reviewing then I'd appreciate it (Otherwise I don't know how I'm doing).**

**Next time Robin runs (quite literally) into some new problems at night.**


	5. Cosmic guardian

_"Wow I really am a lot faster when I don't wear that coat!" _I thought as I ran full pelt down the corridor. I didn't care that I was probably making a lot of noise flinging open doors and wheezing loudly but I really didn't care. All that mattered was that I got as far away as possible from…OH I GET IT!

"Damn I've been so stupid!" I yelled, in between ragged gasps as I rounded yet another corner. "Lucario wasn't talking about Olimar being dangerous to sleep near, he was talking about the pikmin! Something weird must happen to them at night which is why no one want to sle…"CRASH! I hadn't been looking where I'd been going and ran head first into the wall which sent me careening onto the floor. I snapped my head around, fearful that I'd been followed. When the gloom of the corridor yielded nothing I stood back which was somewhat more painful than before. I was about to start running again when I noticed that my night shirt was now stained red. Blood. I placed my hand up to my nose and felt. Wet.

_"Well that's just great!" _I thought angrily. _"I haven't even had my first match and I've already given myself a nosebleed. Things can't possibly get any worse."_

_Scuffle, scuffle…_

_"Uh oh." _Turning my head slowly back down the hall I could just make out several rapidly approaching red orbs. Needless to say I wasn't up for round 2 of being assaulted by pikmin so I took off running again, this time down the south hall. I couldn't keep running forever: I'd always blamed my lack of stamina on that heavy coat I wear but now I was just starting to think I was unfit; I'd barely been running for 5 minutes since I had the wall encounter and I was already gasping for air. Maybe I could lose my pursuers by diving into one of the rooms? Probably not and I had no idea of any of the smashers were sleeping in them. I'd just have to keep running no matter how much my lungs were pleading otherwise.

I turned yet another corner and found myself at an intersection which, luckily for me, had a sign hanging down: Toilets and balcony straight ahead. Kitchen and dining on left. Library on right. I didn't much fancy hiding in the toilet for hours until it got light and I wasn't nearly hungry enough for the kitchen so library it was. I'd always been a bookish person for as long as I can remember (which compared other people isn't very long) which stands to reason as a lot my magic spells originate from my tomes. I checked my pyjama pocket and was relieved to find my tome still there; I'd only had just enough time to cram it in before taking off.

"Maybe I can read up on the smashers so I can get some idea of what I'm going to face tomorrow…or…today." The reality hit me like a ton of bricks. Although it was early morning it was still the day I would be having my first match and I was in no real condition to fight anyone. My nose bleeding, my clothes stained horribly and the worst bed head imaginable. Not the best combination.

Still…books were where I excelled so I'd at least have some sort of advantage against whoever I'd be facing. Reading the books was one thing. Finding the correct books to read was an entirely different matter. After another 5 minutes of my lungs threatening to give up I finally stumbled into the library (taking great care to lock the door behind me). I was expecting a library, not a cathedral with books in. The walls were lined with every sort of books that were as packed densely as physically possible. Besides books there were also manuscripts taking up an entire isle and several more dedicated to encyclopaedias. Over to one side there was a fireplace that for some reason was still lit, and a couple of rocking chairs stood off in the corner.

I sighed, knowing that this was going to be a long night. Still…it was definitely worth trying to gain some sort of advantage if only to do well and impress the other smashers. I tried to reassure myself I wasn't as self-conscious as that as I browsed the shelves, but I knew deep down I was just scared. Scared of rejection. Scared of humiliation. Scared that the other Robin would do better than me and everyone would like him more.

"NO!" I yelled, causing a deafening echo to circulate around the room. I clasped my hands over my mouth, not caring I'd just splattered the last of my nose bleed everywhere. I might have said that a bit too loudly. Still I couldn't bear the thought of losing to Robin. It was embarrassing enough to lose but even more so to someone who should be the same as you.

_"Tch we're not the same. I don't see him browsing the library at 2 in the morning." _I looked around, just to make sure he wasn't. Come to think of it I wasn't really doing a lot of reading either. Sighing to myself, being careful to not let the sigh turn into a yawn, I followed the signs of the library to biographies (and yes this library was big enough to warrant signs). It took me another good 10 minutes to find the section, being grateful the carpet was red as so to hide any stray drops of blood that may have fallen. I didn't bother to pick a specific book, just any one as my opponent was equally likely to be anyone. I picked the densest one there, reasoning bigger meant more info. It was old, really old; the cover was leather bound with a faded mushroom stamp embedded onto the front. I looked down at the cover:

"The world according to Toad: biographies of the Mushroom world's most famous inhabitants."

It was a good a place as any to start so I lugged it over to one of the rocking chairs by the fire and sat down, now glad that the fire was lit. Earlier I'd been running on adrenaline but now I was out of harm's way I realised that pyjamas weren't the warmest things in the world. Even if the fire wasn't that warm, the gentle crackle of the flames kept me company as I flipped through the tome, reading and learning about Luigi and his brother.

"Born into a poor working class family, the mononymous hero, Mario, first came to public attention with his courageous acts to save the princess Peach Toadstool from the clutches of Koopa king Bowser. He has since been hailed as the saviour of the mushroom kingdom and has accepted princess Peach's hand in marriage. His brother Luigi also played a prominent role in the rescues but is often overshadowed by his older brother. On the battle field, the Mario brothers prefer not to use melee weapons and instead use knowledge and skill honed over the many times they've had to rescue the princess….fireball attacks…good range….red cap…..mushrooms….."

These words were becoming really, really long. I could barely keep my eyes open and the gentle rock of the rocking chair just made things harder.

"I'll….just…take….close my…eyes…for a second. No harm…..for just a few seconds…..I'm not napping though…just taking…a break….._snore…snore…._"

"….I'M NOT FALLING ASLEEP!" I jerked myself awake, rubbing my eyes furiously. How long had I been asleep? There wasn't any windows in here so I had no way to know if it was light or not. It vaguely occurred to me as I rubbed my eyes that I may have overslept and missed my first match entirely. As alarming as that was I was still too drowsy to care. Still…it was best to get back to my book. Book! My hand instinctively went to where my tome was…or should have been.

I searched frantically but I found there was horrible gap in my pocket where it should have been. I stood bolt upright, suddenly wide awake again. I **need **my tome. It is literally the source of my abilities and just being a tactician without any power to back it up isn't a good place to be. I crouched down, dropping the other book I was reading with a thud, and crawled around on the floor, trying to see if I'd accidently dropped it somewhere. Just as tears were forming and I was ready to give up hope I felt a small tap on my shoulder. Stiffening, I stood up and turned around. Hovering a few feet above me was a small, yellow star shaped creature. It blinked at me before reaching behind itself and pulling out…

"My tome!" I exclaimed, reaching to take it but the creature recoiled. "Um…I believe that belongs to me," I said, trying to inch closer. "If you could return it I'd be most grateful." The creature cocked its head. "I really need it back so…" The creature had started to float away. "Hey! Hey come back here!" It only quickened its pace and soon broke out into the equivalent of a run. "_Dammit not again!" _I thought, realising my lungs had still not fully recovered. I thought it was kind of ironic that I was the one now chasing, not being chased, but the humour was lost on me as I weaved between the book shelves, trying to catch the yellow bodied thief.

"Get back here!" I yelled as it finally found the door, escaping outside into the hall. It was bad enough that it was really, really fast but also insisted on weaving randomly while moving, like it was confused. Several times I would get close, only for it to change direction or dive into an adjacent corridor. After another 10 minutes of cat and mouse it finally burst into a side room, essentially cutting off its escape route.

"Hah…" I wheezed, clutching my stomach between ragged gasps. "I've finally…got you! Now…hand over…my tome!" The creature just waved it around, mocking me. "Well there's only…one way in…and I'm standing in front…of the door." Nothing. "HAND IT OVER!" I yelled, too furious to care if I woke up every other smasher in the mansion.

"Luma, what did I tell you about stealing?" A female voice said. Whatever anger I was feeling dissipated. The voice was so calming and pure, like water flowing through my body.

"But Mama, you told me to find the owner of the sword." The creature spoke, seemingly to the air. "I didn't know how else to get her to follow me."

"Well…you could have tried asking, couldn't you?"

"Well…", the creature looked down, embarrassed. "I suppose I could have."

"Not to worry, my child…she is here now and that's what matters."

"Um…what's going on?" I asked the star. At this, a brilliant but soft glow began to materialise from the chair opposite me. Now that I looked around, the room was like a smaller version of the library I was in, only this one had a bed in as well. Books lined the walls and a rocking chair sat at the back which is where the glow was coming from. The light gradually faded again and a woman of no more than 20 was sat down. She wore a dress of turquoise colour and I could just make out she had heels to match. Her hair was like mine, blonde, nearly white, and covered her right eye completely. Her uncovered eye was like looking into a whirpool of cyan…

"Robin?" She asked. I was too entranced by her appearance to notice she'd been speaking.

"Um y-yes! S-sorry!" I stuttered.

"I think this belongs to you," she said, gesturing to the tome which the creature held.

"Oh…yes it is, sorry!" I exclaimed, taking the book off the now more than willingly floating creature.

"Why are you apologising? If anything I should be the one to say sorry for inconveniencing you like this."

"Yes….yes hold on why did you steal my tome? And what…," I gestured to the creature, "…is that?"

"That's one of my star children, a luma." She explained, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "I wanted to find the owner of this incredible sword that I found so I sent Luma out to collect them." At this she pulled out the one thing in the whole world I wanted most to see.

"My Levin sword!" I gasped, taking a step back. "But…how…?"

"I came across it in the aftermath of Wario's…mishap in the main foyer. It was just lying on the ground so I took it, not wanting any harm to come to it. If it belongs to you then I'm happy I to return it. She waved a star shaped wand (which I hadn't even noticed before) and levitated my sword gently toward me. I reached out, once again allowing the power to course through my veins. Upon contact sword briefly crackled with energy before calming once more.

"This is…how can I…um….thank you! Miss…" In my haste I realised I had never actually asked the woman's name.

"Rosalina. Protector of the cosmos and guardian of the galaxies." She stood up out of the chair, levitating a few inches above the ground and summoned Luma to her.

"You can use magic, too?" I asked, pointing to the ground she was defying.

"One doesn't always need tomes to do magic, Robin. So you'll see…"

"…What does that mean?"

"Another day." She smiled softly, sending a warm feeling through my body. "But now you better go back to sleep. We've got a busy day tomorrow."

"Um…" Could I really tell her that I was too scared to go back to my room for fear of pikmin? "Well the thing is…" Thankfully, she caught on quickly.

"You're Olimar's new roommate aren't you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "I understand completely. You can sleep in here if you want."

"W-what?! Are you serious?"

"I'm always serious." She sat back down in the rocking chair, letting Luma rest on her knees. "The bathroom is off to your left."

"Huh?" She gestured to my shirt. I was still covered in my nose bleed from earlier! "Oh r-right! _That's just embarrassing. And gross." _I proceeded to try to wash out the blood from my night shirt but the stains were just too stubborn. Plus now I was soaking from all the water.

"You can borrow one of my shirts if you like."

"AH!" I yelped. Rosalina had teleported right behind me holding a dry shirt, which was also turquoise. "Sorry…did I startle you?"

"No it's just…why are you being so nice to me? You barely know me!" Her eyes clouded slightly before returning to their brilliant blue colour.

"Just because we may fight on the battlefield doesn't mean we can't be friends." She held out the shirt again. "Friends?"

"…Friends." I took shirt, allowing her hand to brush mine. "Thank you. This means a lot to me." She smiled warmly before exiting back into the adjacent room. I quickly stripped off my saturated top and replaced it with the other one. "_It's so soft." _

"You can have my bed. I won't be needing it." Rosalina said offhandedly when I walked back in.

"B-but where will you sleep?!" I asked, amazed at her generosity.

"The rocking chair is good enough for me. I don't sleep a lot anyway."

"But you can't just…"

"Sleep, Robin," She chided. "Busy day tomorrow."

"….Fine but tomorrow I'm making it up to you."

"…If that pleases you. Now go to sleep!" Realising that resisting her was going to be pointless I made my way across the room to the single bed that resided in the corner. I placed both my tome and Levin sword on the bedside table before climbing into the bed, pulling the cover gently over myself. For whatever reason I found it to be 10 times more comfortable than the one in Olimar's room (though I suspect this was due to my tiredness). Rosalina waved her wand again and the lights in the room dimmed.

"Goodnight, Robin."

"Goodnight, Rosalina."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Rosalina?"

"Yes Robin?"

"Do you know who I'm facing tomorrow?"

"I thought it was obvious…"

"…"

"You'll be facing me."

**A/N: So there you have it! Robin now has a new friend and opponent for her first match. We also finally see Robin reclaim her Levin sword so no need to worry about that. Next time it's Robin vs Rosalina but what are these rumours circulating about a new smasher. One who's...really feeling it.**

**As always please take the time to review (it really does mean a lot to me when you do). See you next time!**


	6. Robin VS Rosalina

So can you run this by me again?" I asked, stifling a yawn. Though I'd slept well, it still wasn't enough to compensate for the night's excitement. I was currently standing in the courtyard of the smash mansion, surrounded by the veterans. Suspended in the air was an enormous plasma screen T.V. which Master hand was currently adjusting.

"Again? But I've already explained it at least 4 times."

"Sorry, Link, but as a tactician I've got be absolutely sure of all of the variables." The swordsman raised an eyebrow but re-ran through the procedure.

"You see that silver disc on the ground?"

"Yes"

"When you step on it you'll be transported to the arena. Just follow Rosalina's example." He gestured with his bow to where the cosmic guardian was standing. Noticing us looking, she politely waved.

"Okay…but I thought all of the arenas were within the smash grounds?"

"Only the battlefield stage and the training grounds."

"But I thought Master hand could create replicas of worlds and arenas?"

**"****I can," **he called over from hanging the T.V.** "But I'm only a being of creation, not one of time. I could create replicas but it'd take me many years so it's much easier to teleport you to area's in existing worlds I've scouted out and deemed to be suitable."**

"Well I guess that makes sense." I mused as Link and Rosalina nodded in agreement.

**"****And besides a copy is never as good as the original. Now enough chat," **he boomed, raising his voice so the Smashers turned to him.** "Ladies and gentlemen! Today we are honoured to bear witness to the first official match of Robin from the land of Ylisse!" **I saw Falco whisper something to Fox.

"No that's the other Robin, Falco. Concentrate!" Falco muttered something incoherent before resuming his watchful gaze on the scene.

**"****The match will be fought with 3 stocks on the stage Pictochat 2!"**

_"__Pictochat 2? I've never heard of it."_

**"****Combatants, are you ready?" **I turned to Rosalina who smiled and gave a gentle nod. I turned back to Master hand and nodded as well. **"Then let the match begin!" **Following Rosalina's example, just like Link had said, I walked over to the silver disc on the ground and stepped onto it. Almost immediately I found myself in an unfamiliar environment. The platform I was standing on was the only source of colour I could see (aside from Rosalina). Everywhere else was a vast white expanse as far as the eye could see. A small cough brought me back to my senses.

"Shall we begin?" Rosalina asked, summoning Luma to her. Before I could answer I heard Master hand's voice echo throughout the arena.

**"****3, 2, 1…GO!" **Alright this was it. My only chance to make a good impression. I knew everyone would be watching on the screen back at the mansion so I made the first move. I got out my tome and began charging a thunder spell but no sooner had I done this did Rosalina sent Luma crashing into me, nearly knocking me off balance.

_"__Damn does that thing eat rocks? It really packs a punch!" _She called Luma back to her and prepared to throw him again but I was having none of it; I cast an arcfire to cut myself off and immediately started charging another thunder spell. I just managed to turn it into thoron before I realised that Rosalina had teleported behind me but left Luma behind the now dissipating arcfire. Before I could react she'd thrown me toward the Luma with her wand who in turn kicked me back toward her. I got thrown around like a basketball for 5 or 6 times before I managed to cast a nosferatu and drain Rosalina's power. While she was still dazed I prepared to launch her off until a great shadow fell over us; two pairs of giant boots were walking across the map which forced me to abandon my attack.

_"__This stage has some strange hazards. They must want to see how I cope with different situations."_

Not wanting to disappoint, I used elwind to project myself over the boots. Rosalina seemed to have a similar idea and had summoned a rotating star to springboard herself toward me; her timing was absolutely perfect and she knocked me right out of the air with a swift kick to the face. I landed on the ground awkwardly and my hand instinctively went to my nose. No blood. I knew that the energy field surrounding us prevented serious injury but all the same my face still hurt.

_"__Alright so that's how you want to play it." _I channelled my thunder through the Levin sword and charged straight at her. Her dodges were so good I only managed to hit air and I realised brute force was never going to work; I instead slammed the sword downward and electrified the ground around me. Before Rosalina could teleport again I grabbed her with an entrapment hex and threw her forcefully downwards; the electricity paralysed her for a split second but it was all I needed. I kicked her straight off the platform and into the abyss, causing her to lose a life. I almost felt bad considering how nice she'd been the night before but I knew that I couldn't actually hurt anyone here, let alone kill them.

While she was re-spawning I charged another thoron just for good measure before she dropped down off the platform above.

"Impressive," she congratulated. "But how will you fair against this?" I soon found out what she meant as Luma (who for some reason was blue now instead of yellow) began to rapidly shoot star shaped projectiles toward me. I tried to role backward out of the way but I'd underestimated the range the stars had and they knocked into me, causing me to lose my balance and fall.

_"__Oh no you don't!" _I sent elwind downward to carry me up to the ledge the cosmic guardian was now peering over. I just managed to get a finger hold before Luma started firing more of the 'starbits' at me. In retaliation I sweep kicked Rosalina's legs out from under her, causing her to lose concentration with Luma. I tried to arcfire her but she rolled away before I could charge it. This went on for some time with me trying to hit her with spells and her spinning out of the way or jumping up to the many platforms that appeared at random.

_"__Damn it why can't I hit you?!" _I tried using my thoron spell but Rosalina just seemed to bend it around her. She did this with a lot of the items that appeared, too. Every time I tried to grab something she'd pull it towards herself with her wand. This included several artillery weapons that I simply couldn't defend against and I soon found myself blasted away from the stage again; I tried to use elwind but discovered I'd been tricked. Rosalina had been dodging my spells simply to make me use all my power up which rendered me unable to cast an elwind to save myself. Dying didn't hurt (if you can call it dying) as much as I thought and I soon found myself back on the stage (minus a life).

"Ready to give up yet?" Rosalina called over from her pile of items that she was hoarding. "I can do this all day."

"Yeah well I hope you're ready for round 2!"

"…"

_"__That was the worst comeback I've ever made…_Never mind let's just fight!" Without waiting for an answer I dashed forward, intent on separating her from her pile of items. She was expecting it though and fired the Nintendo scope she was holding. I was expecting a large blast of energy like the one she'd used to blast me off the edge but now the pulses came out as rapid fire which (after dealing me considerable damage) knocked me back to where I started. I tried several different tactics including travelling through the pipes that had appeared, but she always managed to blast me away again.

_"__Grr. There's got to be some way I can get over to her…" _I looked around and saw that there was an item behind me that had escaped Rosalina's gravitational pull. It looked like some sort of glass case that contained a shimmering rainbow figure inside. I held it up and instantly it began to glow with energy and soon the glass shattered to reveal a figure who stood less than 4 feet tall, standing next to me. He reminded me of another smasher I'd seen at the mansion called Sonic, though this hedgehog was black all over.

"Chaos control!" A wave of energy rippled outwards from where he was standing though I didn't notice any effects on me. The hedgehog looked around. "Don't just stand there, get a move on." He said gruffly. "My power will soon fail me."

"Huh?"

"Look over there." I looked to where he was pointing. Rosalina was now moving incredibly slowly and having trouble standing upright. Taking the hedgehogs advice I sprinted forward and elbowed Rosalina out of the way of her item pile, though she fell backwards in slow motion. Realising I could now use my magic again, I charged my thoron spell all the way before unleashing it. Now slowed down, Rosalina was unable to bend the attack around her with gravitational pull, the spell hit her full force in the stomach (though the launch was less than spectacular in slow motion).

"Thank you, sir!" I called over to the black hedgehog.

"No problem," he said, shortly, before vanishing. Without his presence, time resumed its normal pace and Rosalina was sent flying off the stage by the thoron spell. Not wanting her to recover, I threw every available item at her as she tried to use her recovery. Luckily for me that my barrage was enough to break her concentration enough to prevent her summoning the launch star which turned the score to 2-1. She was soon back however but, to my surprise, she wasn't angry.

"Hmm, you're a worthy opponent indeed, Robin. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go easy now that you have the upper hand. The game has just begun." And with this she summoned a new Luma (a black one this time) and launched it towards me. Getting used to this attack by now, I slashed at it as it came with my sword but I wasn't expecting what happened next. The Luma made no attempt to attack me and instead flew past, brushing my arm slightly as it did so.

"You missed!" I called. My heart sank when I noticed the cosmic guardian was still smiling. I looked down at my arm where the Luma had brushed and had just enough time to register that it had attached some sort of bomb to me. Before I could get rid of it, it detonated and my Levin sword and I were sent flying in opposite directions. I landed with a thud some way away and I saw my sword had skittered over the edge of the platform and was gone.

"I forgot to mention I attached a sticky bomb to Polari, there, before I sent him. Sorry about that."

_"__No…you're not sorry. But you will be." _I hauled myself to my feet, picking up another sword off the ground that had survived the explosion. It was orange in colour and was composed entirely of light. I swung it experimentally. The balance was all wrong but it would be adequate for the task I had in mind for I now knew what I had to do. The wand. Everything I'd seen Rosalina do had been the result of her star-wand and without it she'd be defenceless. One good swing of the beam sword I was holding would cleave it in two. After that it'd be easy. I had no issue with destroying her wand as I knew that Rosalina was good enough as a magic user to summon another one in the same way I could summon my Levin sword. I also knew, however, that it'd take time for her to do that and in that time I'd win the game.

Not wanting to prolong the match any longer, I dashed forward intent on destroying the wand. What I hadn't realised was that the Luma she'd called 'Polari' was still behind me. It fired a succession of starbits from behind that caused me to trip. I tried to get up but was crushed by the pair of boots that had appeared again once more to walk across the stage. Once again I tried to move forward but was immediately accosted by several bouncing nose creatures that seemed intent on blocking my way to Rosalina. Gritting my teeth, I threw several arcfires to clear them at the expensive of my ever dwindling magic resources. It'd take too much power to re-summon my Levin sword so I clutched the beam sword even tighter. Luckily for me the nose creatures had also hit Polari and Rosalina so I knew it was now or never. I ran forward again but my heart sank when I saw the stage hazard change again. A pipe had appeared directly over Rosalina and was no spraying water in all directions.

_"__This is getting ridiculous. Every time I try to get near to her the stage hazards seem to gang up on me. It's almost like they want her to win." _As silly as that sounded I couldn't help but wonder if it was just bad luck or maybe something else at play. At any rate the water flowed towards me and I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't wet, but equally annoyed that it was still pushing me. No matter how hard or fast I ran towards Rosalina, the water kept pushing me back. I couldn't stop running either as it'd probably push me off the edge so I knew it was time to do something. Now that I was wearing my coat again I was a lot slower and I was gradually losing ground.

I glanced upward at the pipe which the water was flowing from and got an idea. I readied the beam sword which put Rosalina on guard but instead of slashing with it I threw it. The cosmic guardian shielded herself but I hadn't been aiming for her. The sword soared above her and cut the head of the water pipe clean off. The huge volume of water that surged out overcame Rosalina's defences and dazed her before the pipe head itself fell onto her, crushing her.

I used elwind to propelling myself above the surge of water and landed right next to the limp form of Rosalina, trapped underneath the pipe head.

"Any last words?" I asked her, grinning slightly. She exhaled loudly in response.

"No. I won't make excuses for someone who is clearly more talented than I am." She smiled weakly. "Finish me and end the match. Everybody back at the mansion will be waiting." Not wanting to disappoint, I used elwind to push both the pipe head and the body underneath it off the edge of the map, winning me the game. As soon as this was done there was a brilliant flash of light and I found myself back at the mansion, next to Rosalina.

**"****The winner is…Robin!" **Boomed Master hand. I was then surrounded by cheering smashers (including Rosalina) who congratulated me on my first win.

"That was amazing, Robin. I honestly didn't think you could do it but you proved me wrong," Luigi said. "Well done."

"No one's ever been able to beat Rosalina like that. You rock!" Pit cheered.

"And to think it's only your first match. You'll do well I'm sure," Zelda praised.

"I can't believe a roommate of mine did all of that. I'm proud of you, Robin." I didn't have the heart to tell Olimar that I hadn't actually slept that much in my room at all but I was grateful for his support.

**"****Yes that was a fine performance, Robin," **Master hand said. **"Though I hope you won't mind me admitting that some of the…stage mishaps were my doing."**

"So you were the one trying to make me lose." I exclaimed. "Why?"

**"****I did it to test you as a smash participant and to prove to you that you do belong here. The other Robin did…less than impressive."**

"Wait what?" But Master hand had already floated off.

"Didn't you hear?" Fox asked. "Robin and Lucina lost to Captain Falcon and Pikachu by quite a lot."

_"__As if things weren't already good enough. People cheering my name and making me feel accepted. Now I'm officially better than that other…imposter. How does it feel, other Robin? Not so good!" _In celebration of my first win, the smashers threw me an early lunch party (which was good as I'd used up nearly all my energy in the fight). I didn't realise it yet but it turned out that 3 of the smashers weren't at lunch. I also wondered where Master hand had rushed off to.

I later learned the rumour was that Bowser had used one of the ground's teleports to travel to a place Master hand was keeping under wraps for now. It was supposed to be a place with a new arena to battle on and he'd sent Link and the hero king, Marth, to stop Bowser from accidently revealing it too early. There was also a rumour that whilst 3 of the smashers had left the mansion, 4 would be returning. But they were just rumours, weren't they?

**A/N: And so there you have it! Robin has won her first battle and earned the respect of the others. It'd be a shame if someone were to...mess it up for her! If all those hints weren't enough (the world Bowser has gone to is the Bionis/ Gaur plains) the next chapter sees the first appearance of Shulk and the events that lead him to joining the smash team.**

**If you were wondering who Polari the Luma is then go and play super Mario galaxy 1. He is basically Rosalina's second in command so I thought it'd be cool to use him. I also wanted to use an assist trophy so I picked Shadow cos' he's one of my favourites. I thought it'd be better if Robin were to win the match by using her skills and resources and not just power so I picked a stage to give the ultimate family package of chaos. Seriously if you pick Pictochat against me I will hate you forever. Just kidding...but seriously don't pick that stage!**

**As ever please leave a review if you thought this was good (or not so good) as it really does help me to improve. This was my first time writing a fight scene so let me know what you though of it!**

**Anyway I'll see you next time. Happy Smashing!**


	7. Looks like we don't have a choice!

The sun beat down on the plains of the Bionis, giving its light and life for all to use. Not a cloud was in the sky. The trees gave their fruit to the animals. The grass grew to amazing heights to shelter (and possibly conceal) anyone who wanted some shade. A light breeze filled the air and rustled the greenery. If one had been particularly observant one might have seen someone, just for a second, move from within the long grass. Yes, this was a perfect day for all the inhabitants of the colonies…nothing could possibly go wrong. STOMP, STOMP, STOMP, STOMP!

_"It isn't trying to conceal itself. An interesting tactic." _Riki had spoken of a 'bad monster' that had appeared from nowhere and been terrorising the local settlements. It was again my job to protect the peace. STOMP, STOMP, STOMP! Though the ground shook, I could see no 'monster' as such so I was able to deduce it was heavy enough to cause tremors from quite a distance. STOMP, STOMP, STOMP! I was soon proved correct when an enormous beast with a mane of red hair half ran/ half stomped its way over the crest of the hill.

I got my first good look (which wasn't much when concealed within the grass) and could make out its features. It had sizeable claws that looked sharp enough to cut metal and horns to match. Its skin was rugged (I suspected from repeated exposure to high temperatures) and yellow hued, and on its back there was a shell whose spikes gave off the same sharp aura as its claws. It let out an almighty roar and the rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth that lay within confirmed my suspicions. This was the monster that had been terrorising the locals.

_"Well not on my watch!_" I readied the Monado, extending to its full length. The creature turned, hearing the slight disturbance the blade gave off, but it was far too late to do anything about it. "BACK SLASH!" I yelled, leaping up into the air and bringing the blade down inches from the monsters shell. I hadn't intended to harm it directly (I never kill unless absolutely necessary) but the blade still sent out a shockwave that blasted the creature far away from me which then landed in an undignified heap. I withdrew the extension and swung the Monado back around to my shoulder. I took a deep breath, letting the gentle breeze brush my face before I exhaled. The moment was so perfect I couldn't help saying: "I'm really feeling it!"

No sooner had I said this did the Monado grant me a vision. I span around and saw two men leap over the side of the hill where they'd been hiding. They both had their weapons drawn and before I could react they'd struck me across the chest. The weird thing was that they'd hit me with the flat of their blades so weren't aiming to kill me but the impact still sent me flying. _"Not today. The future doesn't belong to you." _I let the vision end and I immediately vaulted backwards using the palm of my hand as a springboard. The figures both missed by millimetres but that didn't stop them. The one with blue hair stabbed forwards, inches from where my head should have been before I ducked. His friend in green slashed sideways but I was ready, parrying the blow with the un-extended Monado. Their attacks were perfect complement to each other as in whenever the blue haired one slashed at my shins, the blond one would come down from above with a heavy swing. Seeing this was going nowhere good, I back flipped to safety a couple of metres away. To my surprise my attackers stopped and looked at each other. Even if they were done I sure wasn't. No one attacks me unprovoked and gets away with it. My eyes narrowed and I extended the Monado once more. "Now it's Shulk time!" I cycled through the arts until I found the one I needed. "Smash!" The light around the blade glowed red. "This is the Monado's power!" I surged forward, intent on striking first but was utterly stunned when I heard one say.

"Wait! We surrender!" The blond one with the green tunic planted his sword in the ground.

"We're sorry." The other one said with an accent I'd never heard before.

"Wait what?" I asked, suspiciously. "You were trying to kill me."

"Not kill, no. Test."

"Huh."

"Sorry." The blue haired one adjusted his headband before stepping forward a pace. "We had to be sure you were the one."

"…"

"Look," He gestured to his open palms. "I have no weapons. We just want to talk."

"Yeah, right." I said sarcastically. "I'll bet that monster is yours as well." I pointed over to where the horned beast was just starting to recover.

"Well not really," the blond one said, also setting his weapon down. "We were sent to recover him but it looks like you saved us the trouble of subduing him. Thanks."

"Um…you're welcome. But why're you actually here. If you don't want to kill me…are you after the Monado? I should warn you that may not work out in your favour."

"What?" The blond one starting laughing. "No, you've definitely earned the right to wield it. Besides Marth and I both have our own swords."

"Marth?"

"Yes that's me." The blue haired one explained, holding out a hand. Hesitantly I shook it, wondering how his grip was so weak when his sword skills were at the level they were.

"And I'm link," the other said, holding out his hand as well. I couldn't shake both of their hands **and **hold the Monado so I (somewhat sceptically) deactivated it and attached it to my shoulder grip.

"Good to meet you." I said, hoping this would invite more conversation into their purpose here. I wasn't disappointed. Marth turned to face link after releasing my hand.

"He's the one. I can feel it. This the person Master hand told us to find."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Warrior's instinct. Plus no one except the wielder of the mystic blade would be able to take both of us on at once and hold his own."

"Hm…" Link shrugged. "That does make sense. I too feel his power, now."

"Sorry to interrupt but who's this 'Master hand' you said? What does he want with me?" Link opened his mouth to reply but another voice beat him to it.

"Let's hope it's nothing too exciting." I knew that voice. I span around to see...

"Reyn?!"

"Sup, Shulk."

"And Fiora?!"

"Hey, Shulk!" I hugged her whilst Reyn made gagging noises (which I ignored.)

"Who's this bunch of jokers?" Reyn asked after composing himself.

"This is Link and Marth." Marth bowed deeply while Link just waved. "I don't think they're from Bionis. More to the point what're you both doing here?"

"Well I found this letter hanging around outside your house and it said it was waaaayyy urgent."

"Why were you hanging outside of my house, Reyn?"

"When have I not done that?"

"…Good point." I turned to the petite blonde girl. "And you, Fiora?"

"I saw Reyn leave in hurry so I figured it was pretty important and followed him."

"Any excuse to be near Shulk, eh Fiora?" Reyn said, nudging her. She turned bright red and turned away, blushing.

"Um…w-well…umm…"

"Nah, I'm kidding!" Reyn hooted. "But your face though…priceless."

"Ahem…" Link coughed slightly, bringing us back to our senses.

"Oh right the letter," Reyn said, rummaging around in his pocket. "Here ya go, buddy!" He handed me the letter which was slightly crumpled from being in Reyn's pocket. After reading and rereading it several times it appeared I'd been invited to some sort of fighting tournament called 'Super Smash Brothers' and that the person in charge was called Master hand.

"Well this is all very interesting if it's true." I exclaimed.

"Well of course their telling the truth!" Fiora said (apparently now recovered from her embarrassment). "Can't you see it?"

"You were always better at reading people then I was. If you trust them then so do I." She smiled at this.

"So you'll join?" Link said, a bit too hopeful not to be considered desperate. I looked between him and Marth then back to Reyn who gave me a thumbs up. Fiora gave me a small nod.

"Count me in!"

"Excellent!" Marth declared, shaking my hand a lot more firmly than before. "Then we should be off."

"What…as in right now?

"Master hand is expecting our report soon. Besides we still have to get Bowser back to the mansion." Link said, jerking his thumb back to where the spiked creature was now beginning to stir. "I don't want to be around when he wakes up."

"Agreed," Marth said. "Our teleport relay is back this way."

"But…this is a bit soon don't you think? Don't I need to train more?" I queried, alarmed at the pace this was taking.

"Shulk, if our brief fight was anything to go by then you're more than ready."

"And if you're worried about missing your friends here," Link gestured to Reyn and Fiora. "Then we've got communication systems back at the mansion that can allow you talk to them whenever you want."

"You make it sound so easy," I supposed. "Well alright. I'll come."

"Right choice, Shulk. Don't disappoint me!" Reyn said, nearly crushing my hand in one of his handshakes.

"Take care of yourself, Shulk." Fiora lent in to hug me, which I (of course) allowed. "Come back safely." She whispered in my ear.

"For you…always." We parted our hug and I turned to follow the other swordsmen who were walking towards the creature known as 'Bowser'. After they'd dragged him over to a silver disc on the ground (what I presumed was the teleport relay), they placed him on it and he promptly vanished in a flash of light. Link did the same thing after.

"Your turn, Shulk. Just stand on the disc." Marth said, noticing my hesitance.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I stepped on to the disc.

"Looks like Monado boy's found himself some new friends. It'd be a shame if…they were all cut into tiny pieces then vaporized! Just you wait, Monado boy…"

**Robin(F) POV**

I could get used to this. I was currently looking at the league table for the competition so far in the main hall. With me was Fox and Palutena who were also scanning the board. In first position was Meta knight (no surprise there.) He'd been one of the few people to actually beat me in a match. Ness was another as his PSI attacks were more than a match for my own spells. Plus his vortex could absorb Thoron which healed him in our first match.

Sonic was another as he was just so damn quick. I could never charge up my spells for long enough as he kept hitting me before I could fire. Mr Game and Watch was the only other. His attacks were just so…unpredictable it made my job as a tactician infinitely harder than it should have been. Plus his oil panic attack could absorb my spells in the same way Ness could.

Other than that I hadn't really had any trouble which is why I placed 7th overall on the board. Those in front were Meta knight, Wario (I suspect he bribed his way to the top), Samus (in her zero suit. I was seriously surprised to learn the robot suit and the woman were the same person but I guess it made sense), Sonic, Ness, and the hero king, Marth.

It made me feel even better that the other Robin was way down at 22nd and Lucina at 15th .

"I guess this proves we're not the same. I'm better after all." I murmured.

"Hm? Did you say something, Robin?" Palutena asked.

"…No, nothing."

"Oh, well now that we're talking might I ask who your next match is with?" In truth I didn't actually know. I knew he was a newcomer and that he was male but that was about it.

"I'm not sure," I admitted. "Some new guy." The goddess's green eyes went wide with shock.

"Wait as in the 'new' new guy?"

"Uh…yes. Is something the matter?" I queried.

"You mean you haven't heard?" A blank look from me told her otherwise. "Apparently he's incredibly powerful. Back when he was being recruited he took on Bowser before Link and Marth at the same time!" This caught my attention. "In fact he's currently playing his first match against Meta knight as we speak."

"WHAT?!" I shouted, letting loose an echo that surrounded the hall. "Why didn't anyone tell me? I should be watching it to gain tactical advantage!"

"Oh…we assumed you knew," Fox admitted. "And that you either didn't care enough or…" I had already left, running as fast as I could towards the courtyard where the massive plasma screen was still hanging.

"Maybe I can just catch the last few minutes." I rounded the corner into the plaza but I could see I was too late. The newcomer was nowhere to be seen and Meta knight was on the floor surrounded by the rest of the smashers. I dashed over and tried to push to the front but of course Donkey Kong had to be in the way. I instead called Olimar over and asked him what had happened (trying to ignore the ever present stares of his pikmin)

"I…I-I'm not sure," he stuttered.

_"For whatever reason he's scared. How can he be scared?! Is this new guy really that good?"_

"It all happened so fast. I'm pretty short so I didn't see most of it but what I did see was…I don't even know."

"Well do you at least know who…?" I didn't even get to finish my sentence.

"Meta knight lost if you can call it that." The spaceman scratched the back of his helmet nervously. "Personally I'd say he was absolutely wrecked. 3 stocks to nil in under 7 minutes. That must be some kind of record." Now I was scared. 3 stocks to nil! Even if it wasn't under 7 minutes it'd be impressive but with that kind of time limit it was just scary. And I was facing him next! If he could beat Meta knight who was said to be the best then what chance did I have? I didn't even realise I was sweating until it starting coming down in beads along my forehead. "Are you ok, Robin?"

"Um y-yeah." I lied. "What does this new guy look like? He doesn't seem to be around here." Olimar opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by an energetic Pit who'd left the circle around Meta knight.

"Yeah as soon as he teleported back he immediately left to go to his dorm," the angel said, waving his arms around frantically. "Said he needed some 'alone time'. You should have been here though, Robin. They were all like 'pew, pew' and 'smash' and…lots of other things too but it was amazing!"

"G-great. L-look if you can't give me a description then can I at least know his name." I asked, practically begging for any information on this guy. Anything to get an edge.

"Sure," Pit said. "His name's Shulk."

**A/N: Well now Shulk has joined the battle and made quite the first impression. Robin feels more than a little scared to be facing him. I was originally going to have Dunban and Riki instead of Reyn and Fiora but then I realised they're going to be in his final smash anyway (plus writing as Reyn is way too fun). Anyway we see the circumstances Shulk joins and his reveal trailer is incorperated accordingly. **

**Next time it's the one we've all been waiting for... Robin meets Shulk in battle! Who'll win. Can the heroine of Ylisse overcome the power of the Monado. Does the homs boy have what it takes to beat a powerful sorceress? Find out next time!**

**As ever please review and what not if you're not too busy. I appreciate all of them! Until next time, see ya!**


	8. Robin VS Shulk

_Come on where is he? _I was nervous enough as it were to be facing Shulk mere days after hearing about him but the fact he still wasn't at the teleport relay with me was just making me more anxious. _He's just trying to psyche me out that's all…_

To say I was on edge was an understatement: I could practically feel the tension attempting to suffocate me. It'd been a couple of days since he'd beaten Meta knight but in that time I'd barely seen him anywhere. A glimpse of a red jacket here and a flash of blond there but it was like he didn't even exist. At meal times he was never there and he never spectated the other matches. With all of this secrecy you'd expect him to be some sort of recluse among the members but far from it; they adored him. Apparently he was one of the nicest guys around and was always willing to help others. _Except when the brawl starts…then he turns into some sort of terrifying monster that can decimate even the strongest fighters. _I mentally smacked myself. _Don't listen to Pit, he exaggerates everything. _

I also expected there to be rumours about how he lived some sort of double life or was hiding a secret but there wasn't any. Shulk was just a nice guy who happened to be good in matches. In fact the only person that seemed to have rumours floating around them was myself, something I'm sure the other Robin started. The rumours weren't exactly bad but they hurt me all the same…which is understandable when they insinuate that…_no…I have to focus. _I took another deep breath. _Keep calm._

"Good luck, Robin!"

_And the fact the other Robin is here to 'wish me luck' really isn't helping. _I looked over at my male counterpart, looking for any tell-tale sign of malice. I found none but was sure he was only here so he could witness my inevitable defeat in person. _Stop talking like that!_ I told myself. _You haven't lost yet. You haven't even fought him yet. Damn it where is he?_

"Time's up, Robin!" Lucina said to me, allowing me to notice the close proximity she had to the other Robin. "We've got no choice but to teleport you alone and hope Shulk turns up."

"What?! That doesn't make any sense!" I protested.

"While we may not understand, we must follow the rules, **Robin." **I flinched when I heard the other Robin say my name. That's what it was. My name. He said it like some sort of accusation, like I was unworthy of it. I was sorely tempted to remind him of our places in the rankings but before I could the teleport activated and I found myself standing on a race track of sorts. Looking upwards (expecting to see sky) I found only more tarmac and a banner that I could just make out said 'Mario circuit'. From my limited vantage point I could see there were racers on the track but they were ages away.

"Hello there!" Shulk called over from where he was standing. Wait…why was that strange?

_Of course he's there why wouldn't he be? He arrived with me at the teleport and we went together…_I clutched my head. My memories…my past was changing. I remembered Lucina commenting on his lateness but then at the same time wishing **both **of us luck when we departed. I remember him showing up, out of breath but then not showing up at all.

"ARGHH! What have you done to me?!" I yelled, trying to make sense of it all.

"Sorry what? I'm not sure I understand." He ran his fingers through his golden hair, perplexed.

"Of course you do! That's how you win!" I yelled. "You psyche us out with some sort of mind game. Well not today!" I began charging my thunder spell.

"Robin I think you should…"

"Shut up!" I snarled. No more tricks."

"I was just pointing out…"

"No!"

"…race track." He finished, with an amused expression on his face.

"Huh?" No sooner had I said this was I slammed into by half a dozen racing karts, each piloted by mysterious masked men. The force sent me sprawling onto the ground, my face meeting concrete.

"Are you ok?" I looked up from the ground and saw genuine compassion, or I would have had I not been blinded by rage. I threw what little thunder I'd charged but he easily side stepped. "Have it your way." He said, shortly. "Monado, lend me your power!"

_Is he a magic user? That sounded like a summoning spell. _No other creature appeared but the blade of his sword I had only just noticed extended twofold in a glow of white.

"Speed!" He crouched into a running position and before I had time to react he was on top of me. Grabbing me by my neck, he tossed me behind him and angled the blade so it impaled me when he did so. "Back slash!" I didn't even have to get up off the floor before an almighty pain ripped through my body and I was once again sent sprawling.

_That…that was the fastest combo I've ever seen. Even Sonic wasn't that fast but maybe if he's a sword user then I can keep him at bay with my magic…_I tried to forget Link could also use arrows as well as his sword but I could see no bow on Shulk, just that strange sword. Red with a hollow section in the middle that contained some sort of energy. CRACK! I'd spent so much time mesmerised by the sword I didn't realise the section of track I was on was detaching from the ground below, carrying both Shulk and I into the air. Brushing this development aside I began charging another thunder spell but I was surprised to see Shulk not even attempting to stop me. _Oh so you think you're tough? _I thought as I felt the spell turn to arc thunder. _Well let's see you dodge thoron._

"Thoron!" I yelled as soon as the spell was charged, not wanting to give him a chance to get away. In fact he did the opposite. Slamming the sword tip into the ground, the electricity blast was channelled away from his body and into the race track. "W-what?! You can use it as a lightning rod?"

"We're just getting started." He laughed and is eyes began to glow yellow. "Monado, shield me!" His whole body was engulfed in a yellowy aura. He began to walk towards me and no matter how many arcfires I sent he just kept coming. He seemed a lot slower than before but that really only built up the tension as no matter what I did he just tanked it and kept moving. I was conscious that he was pushing me back towards the edge of the platform and I couldn't help but look down. The drop was dizzying but I forced myself to focus. _Just come a little closer and…_WHACK! As soon as he was within striking distance I slashed at him with the full force of my Levin sword. The blade bounced harmlessly off, but not off his own sword but his body itself. It was like steel!

"Ok…my turn." The aura dissipated but now he was a lot faster again; before I could swing again he'd roundhouse kicked me in the stomach, winding me. If it was a choice of jumping off on my own terms or getting hit with that magic sword I'd pick my own terms every time so before he could complete his combo I jumped off the side. I was hoping to surprise him by using elwind to propel myself back up but (and I've got no idea how) he was expecting it. As soon as I was directly above him I was immediately stabbed by the laser extension of his sword, sending me flying off past the boundary.

_Perfect. I haven't even been able to scratch this guy and I'm already one life down. How can I do this? _Shulk was apparently thinking the same thing when I rematerialized back on the stage.

"Are you sure you want to continue? You seem tired," he said, gesturing to the dark circles around my eyes. It was true I hadn't been sleeping well but I didn't know it was that obvious. I declined Rosalina's offer to continue to sleep in her room as I felt I was becoming a burden. Thus I slept in the library, away from Olimar's pikmin. But none of this was relevant now as my tiredness was becoming replaced by anger.

"Stop trying to be nice to me!"

"I was just…"

"No!" I yelled, surprising even myself with how angry I was getting. "You don't get to do this! You don't get to beat the crap out of me and pretend you care!"

"But that's what the Super Smash Brothers tournament is all about?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"…W-well…um..er…Shut up! You are my enemy! And I am yours! Nothing will change that!"

"Really? Robin, the tournament is just as about making friends as fighting." He stated, withdrawing his sword. "If you're not prepared to do both then maybe this isn't the right place for you…"

"You're just a rookie you wouldn't understand." I immediately regretted saying this as he re-extended the blade and lowered his head.

"I've done my fair share of fighting. Lost things very dear to me." He raised his head and to my horror his eyes were now glowing blue. "I've tried to be nice, Robin, but now I can see having a heart to heart with you isn't going to persuade you. Perhaps a battle will convince you otherwise…Monado buster!"

"Give it a rest," I fumed, throwing a concentrated arcfire blast at him before charging at him with my sword outstretched. Then the scariest thing happened; the arcfire cleared but Shulk had vanished. My Levin sword passed through thin air. "Wha…?"

"I see it." I felt the blade pass through my chest before I saw it protruding. The pain was excruciating, even if I wasn't launched too far. Even so I collapsed from the pain and no matter hard I tried I couldn't will away the tears that formed.

"Nghh…curse you..." I said, blinking away the tears. I span around with my sword, hoping to catch him off guard but I was met with the clang of his own sword. I looked at him, then took a closer look. His expression wasn't spiteful but just indifference. I hauled myself up and he didn't try to stop me.

"When you're ready." He said. Something inside me snapped. Until he'd come along I was doing fine in the tournaments and people respected me. Now there were all these rumours flying around about me that made people think twice about me and I was sure Shulk and the other Robin were conspiring against me. Rational thought going out the window, I Surged forward trying every single possible sword technique I knew of to break through his defence but to no avail. He was never just one or two steps ahead, he was an entire street ahead. He saw all my attacks coming a mile away and parried all of my sword thrusts.

The only sound that could be heard from us was the sharp clang of metal on metal and the dull thud of our floating platform touch back down on the asphalt. Whatever attack pattern I'd started I knew I was going to fail. I was tiring and Shulk could see that. He feinted left before striking me across my shoulder. The 'buster Monado' hurt a lot more than his speed one and was slowly sapping my strength as we continued. Usually when I connected swords with someone, the Levin swords electrical charge would slowly paralyse them over time (which is how I won against Link in my second match) but the Monado was somehow protecting Shulk against this so the only one who seemed to be tiring was me.

Pushing him away I looked off into the distance and saw that the karts were rounding the corner towards us. _If I can just last until then, then I can force him backward into them. _I renewed my assault and to my mild surprise the Monado was no longer in buster mode which meant the blows he dealt didn't sear my flesh anymore. It still hurt just not as much and this spurred me on to drive him back across the racetrack and into the path of the karts that were rapidly approaching. I was so sure I'd got him but then it was as if time slowed. Shulk crouched, making my latest sword swing miss completely and throwing me off balance.

"Clever, Robin. I nearly fell for that."

"T-that isn't possible. H-how did you know?" I stammered. I was so sure my plan would work but like I said he was always one step ahead. How? He just smiled but didn't get out of the way of the karts. Instead (to my utter amazement) he let them come to him. The karts came closer and closer until they were seconds away. It's embarrassing when a plan fails but not nearly as embarrassing as when someone else is then able to turn it around on you. Shulk used the karts as a sort of wall so I couldn't see what he was doing. The strange thing was I swore I could have seen the Monado pass straight through some of the racers but I'm sure it was just a trick of the light. The karts only took a few seconds to pass us and kicked up a dust cloud in their wake which Shulk used to his advantage, slamming me into the ground while I was trying to locate him.

"Smash!" I could guess what that meant and was immediately proved right. The impact didn't hurt as much as I thought it would but blasted me way beyond the energy field surrounding the course. I only had 1 stock left and he still had 3. Should I surrender? My eye twitched slightly. Never! I re-entered the arena, knowing I was going to lose but determined to drag it out for as long as physically possible. When I dropped down I discovered we were once again in the air.

"Are you sure you want to keep doing this?" Shulk asked with the same sincerity as before. "We can leave if you…"

"No. If you want to win then you're going to have to earn it," I said defiantly. He grinned.

"That's more like it! Though I should point out where we are."

"What?"

"Look around you." I knew he was probably trying to distract me but I couldn't help but look around the race track. I froze, all my resolve evaporating. The sky was down but the ground was floating above us with the racers sticking to it like insects. My head became dizzy and I nearly fell over trying to make sense of it.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Me? Nothing." He said. "But what I am going to do is take advantage of your distraction. Monado, jump activate!" His body was engulfed in a hazy green aura. He leapt up into the air, pulling my gaze with him which I realised is exactly what he wanted. He'd jumped high but with the sky below us I was considerably disorientated, which accumulating in me nearly vomiting as my head span. I knew I was completely defenceless against his attack so I just resigned for it to happen (which it did), closing my eyes to stop myself collapsing. The blow came from directly above me and was pretty darn painful (though not comparing to the 'buster Monado').

"Robin, open your eyes," He said, gently.

"Nope. I'll be sick." I said, scrunching them even further. "I tried my best to beat you but you've earned the right to win. Your swordsmanship is unparalleled. Just do end me quickly so my head can stop spinning and I can get out of here.

"Where's all your spirit gone, Robin? Where's the person who was determined to beat me?"

"I'm really not in the mood for a pep talk, Shulk. Both you and this stage have drained me."

"….As you wish." I wasn't even sure which way I was falling when he threw me off. Up or down had no meaning when the gravity changes at will. I opened my eyes, just long enough to see myself flying past the boundary of the stage.

"This isn't over…"

**"Shulk wins! 3 stocks to nil!" **

**A/N: Let's just clarify what happened at the beginning (it can be confusing). Shulk uses his Monado vision to see what would happen if he didn't turn up to the match on time to see how his opponent would respond. Seeing how anxious Robin is he lets the vision end and turns up on time. However, due to whatever reason (probably something due to Robin's magical nature), Robin remembers both versions of the event which confuses her. This coupled with lack of sleep, stress due to rumours surrounding her, and general fear of Shulks abilities leads her to becoming angry and reckless. This essentially costs her the match (along with Shulk's Monado arts).**

**I picked Mario circuit (not the brawl one) as I thought it'd be cool to play around with the gravity (like with what happened on Robin's 3rd stock) and the shyguys causing havoc. If I were Robin I'd want a rematch on a less...eventful stage. Who knows, maybe she will. In the meantime she has to deal with losing and the other Robin's general smugness. How will that end up? Find out next time, pals! **

**Reviews: Thanks to all of you who reviewed. I know most of you wanted Shulk to win so there you go (Shulks my second main anyway so I know how strong he can be). WR3000, I hope my portrayal of the Monado arts was to your liking.**

**Don't forget to review this chapter so I know what I did well and could maybe improve on for next time. Speaking of next time, I'll be there waiting. See ya! **


	9. Revelations

_I...lost? 3 stocks to nil. Way to go to rub it in, _I thought as we appeared back in the smash grounds. I looked over to Shulk who had barely broken a sweat. Other than him, the only people here was myself, the other Robin and his Lucina. _I guess Meta knight's more popular than me. _I reasoned. I took a closer look at the other Robin who was currently congratulating Shulk. He looked way too smug that I'd lost. I could feel the anger boiling up inside of me and I knew rational thought was going to go out of the window any second. Not wanting to unleash it in front of anyone, I turned to go.

"Hey, Robin." The voice of the other Robin called me back. "You did a good job out there." I turned and looked at him, practically able to see the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Well…I'm just saying that you did a good job. No harm in that." Well so much for my anger not boiling over.

"Harm? The only thing you've tried to do here is harm me!" I yelled, surprising all 3 of them with the ferocity. "You and that…" I gestured to Lucina. "…that imposter have been trying to ruin me since I got here."

"Don't talk to her that way!" Other Robin said, putting himself between me and Lucina. "Just because she isn't the same as your one Lucina doesn't make her any less real!"

"The real Lucina wouldn't be spreading rumours about my…orientation, and generally making me feel like crap."

"Robin, I would never…" Lucina started.

"Shut up! What the hell is your deal anyway? You're always hanging around with that other Robin and being all cosy. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were…"

"Married? Yes, Robin. We're married."

"…W-what?"

"It's exactly what I said," the other Robin said. "We felt the same way about each other so we got married. Is that surprising to you?" I noticed now that they were both holding hands. It all fell into place. They sat next to each other at mealtimes. They shared a room for sleeping. Even what Master hand had said made sense but…"

"That's wrong!"

"Excuse me?" Robin raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's just…wrong. I can't be like that." I mumbled. The pain Shulk's Monado had caused was nothing compared to the pain I felt now. Take the 'buster Monado' and multiply it by 10 and maybe that came close.

"I don't understand," Lucina said, looking over at her husband.

"I do." I hadn't even realised Shulk had been here the whole time, taking everything in but remaining silent. "Robin thinks it's wrong because she…"

"NO! You don't understand, do you?"

"Well I…"

"Do you…" He caught on to what I meant.

"…No, I must be mistaken."

"Good. Also I want a rematch."

"Is that allowed?" He asked, quizzically.

"Yes. I don't want any sort of kart racing or weird gravity to interrupt our next match."

"Shouldn't a good tactician adapt to the situation at hand?" The other Robin interjected.

"See this is exactly what I'm talking about," I said, fuming. "You're always trying to make me feel inadequate."

"Well…"

"Save it!" I turned to Shulk. "Rematch tomorrow at 1 o'clock. Be here." He nodded wordlessly. "Good." I turned my back on them, not caring that I could feel their gazes burning into my back.

3rd person POV

"Should I go after her?" Shulk asked. Robin shook his head.

"As much as I don't like to admit it…she is similar to me. I know I'd want to be alone after all of that."

"You mean after all that stuff you put her through."

"Me?" Robin countered. "Who was the one who beat the stuffing out of her, nearly reducing her to tears?"

"She was like that before I even got there. Alone, our match shouldn't have done that. What I did was just the tipping point after weeks of continued stress not helped by rumours that you've been spreading.

"You can't prove that!"

"I can," Lucina said, softly.

"What? Lucina, come on you know me. I wouldn't…"

"That's exactly the point, Robin. I know you. While you are without doubt the man I love, sometimes you can go a bit too far. "Shulk's right, Robin."

"What do you mean?"

"We both know you're the one who's been spreading those rumours."

"Well I…"

"Is this true?" Shulk asked.

"….Yes. But I didn't think it'd go this far. I just wanted to…"

"What good did you think would come of spreading lies?" Shulk snapped. "You've got no idea how much damage you've done to her."

"What do you mean? All I've been saying is…"

"What are your exact words?" Shulk narrowed his eyes.

"W-well, um, t-that…"

"That female Robin isn't straight in her…orientation." Lucina finished, looking ashamedly down.

"As I thought. You would stoop so low as to make jokes about such things? You sicken me."

"I don't see why she took it so badly." Robin said, ignoring Shulk's last remark.

"It was just one of many things that you've done." Shulk sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You've already crippled her emotionally with your bullying and snide remarks. How are you surprised that this took her over the edge?"

"But…"

"It doesn't help she realised that you two are together."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything!"

"….Of course you don't. I'll see you two later." And with that Shulk left in the same direction Robin had gone.

"He's right, Robin. We need to apologise." Lucina said.

"Why do you need to apologise? I'm the one who's at fault."

"That's the thing, Robin." Lucina held his hand in her own. "If you're still the man I know, then I know by the time you bring yourself to apologise then it'll be too late." She let her grip go slack and walked away, leaving Robin alone in the courtyard.

"…..I'm sorry."

Robin (F) POV

"I have to get away from here…to a place where they can't find me." I knew just the place as I ran down the corridors of the mansion that had become so familiar to me. Left at the intersection took me into the library (also known as my one safe haven in this place). Despite its size the library always felt homely to me since the smashers seldom came here. They were always out sparring on the grounds while I hid myself away with the books, learning as much as I could about future opponents.

Today, though, I had no intention of reading anything. I rushed through the various aisles, not paying heed to the books and instead flung myself down in my favourite rocking chair by the fire. The fire did not have the same calming effect on me I thought it would and instead took my temper to new heights.

_Robin…and Lucina together? Why… how…when…why…? Why do they have to be together? Why did Master hand lie about the reason for them being here? Did he not think I could handle the truth? Why…why…why… _I held my head in my hands, breathing deeply. I was too deeply ingrained in my cycle of despair that I didn't hear the figure approach me from behind.

"Robin." I sprang back at the voice, recognising its soft but firm tone instantly.

"Go away, Rosalina. I want to be alone," I murmured.

"It isn't a question of wanting. It's whether you need to be alone and I'm sure you don't need to be."

"…"

"I know what happened down on the grounds." I raised my head, suddenly alert.

"W-what?! How?"

"The video link to the main screen was still active."

"So does that mean that everyone else knows…what happened?" Rosalina shook her head.

"I got R.O.B. to cut the video link before anyone else saw."

"…Thank you." I relaxed, meeting the cosmic guardian's eyes for the first time. She was the one who spoke first.

"Why did you come here?"

"Master hand invited me to…"

"No I meant to the library. Why did you run from Shulk and the others?"

"They…they hurt me. Made me doubt myself. I had to get away."

"Shulk was only trying to help…and Lucina for the most part. The only one who's at fault here is the other Robin and even now he regrets what he did."

"How…how can you know that?" She smiled, smoothing down a crease in her dress.

"The same way I knew you'd be in the library."

"…"

"Magic." Well now the tension was broken. I couldn't help but laugh which helped me to compose myself.

"Thank you, Rosalina."

"The pleasure is mine. But this was not the reason I came here," she said, becoming serious.

"Huh?"

"You said some things back in the arena that…were less than called for." My mind went back to my fight against Shulk. What I said…

_Oh no…did I really say all of those things? _I hung my head in shame. "I…I-I didn't mean to say all of that. Robin…the other Robin I mean…those things he said got to me and I took it out on someone who didn't deserve it."

"It is all very well to blame someone else for what you did." She raised an eyebrow. "And you yourself have not exactly behaved honourably towards the other Robin, have you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, becoming defensive

"You casually bring up the fact you do better than him in matches in most conversations. Always calling Lucina, his wife, a fake and not worthy. Do you think that makes him feel good? Do you not think he would want some kind of revenge, however inappropriate it was?"

"You…you think I'm to blame for all of this?" Now my spirits plummeted again, until Rosalina surprised me once more.

"No one is solely to blame for what happened. I do think you acted wrongly towards the other Robin but it was he who then tried to ruin you instead of asking you to stop. The only one who's innocent here is Shulk."

"Shulk…I have to apologize!" I said, standing up.

"Too late, Robin," she said, gesturing for me to sit back down. "He has gone to a place in the mansion beyond even my sight. The only time you can apologise is before your rematch tomorrow."

"Oh…I don't think I can face him again like that. I said all of that stuff in the heat of the moment and I don't think it was the stage that lost me the match. He'll beat me no matter where we go."

"That may be but you can't back down on a challenge."

"But you said you cut the link before anyone else saw me challenge him. I could just pretend I didn't."

"I wasn't talking about the others," she clarified, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I was talking about Shulk. You weren't yourself when you played him and he at least deserves to have a match with you…and not the wild, nervous wreck you were before."

"You think I can beat him?"

"It isn't a question of winning." Her eyes became distant. "The tournament wasn't founded all those years ago with the goal of winning, Robin. It was founded about participating in an event that showed the worlds that you didn't have to be the best to earn the respect of your peers. It was founded with honour that the other Robin, and yourself, did not perhaps show today…but I'm willing to let that pass if you prove not just to me or Shulk but the rest of the smashers that you have what it takes to uphold the reputation of the name of Smash brothers."

"…Will re-matching Shulk help with all of that?"

"It's a start."

"…..Thank you."

"It was nothing," She assured me.

"No really. You could've not come here and left me alone." I leant in to hug her, which she accepted, slowly. "You were the only one who came."

"And yet I'm not the only one who wants to help you," She said, releasing me back into the rocking chair. "I suspect many of the smashers are worried about you. After I cut the link several of them wondered what had happened to Shulk and yourself. Pit, Palutena…Luigi…Fox…even Olimar." I was surprised at this last one.

"Olimar? Even after he applied to change roommates?"

"I think he worked out you weren't sleeping in the room and didn't want to inconvenience you anymore. He was just being helpful, that's all."

"But…never mind." I wasn't prepared to argue against the decision even if Olimar was someone I'd come to trust as a friend; those Pikmin were just too creepy for words.

"Ahem." A small cough from Rosalina brought me back to my senses and I realised I'd been staring into space for who knows how long.

"Right, sorry, do you know who my new roommate is?" She shook her head in denial.

"Master hand has not yet decided."

_….Master hand_…..he…he lied to me about Robin and Lucina." It wasn't really a question but Rosalina took it upon herself to answer it anyway.

"He…" I think this this was the first time I'd seen her hesitate, as if doubtful. "He isn't really a people person. He didn't exactly lie to you about the reasons that version of Lucina came…he just told you the reasons that would have persuaded himself."

"What? I don't understand." If the cosmic guardian hadn't been hesitant before then now she was. She looked left and right before slowly turning back to me.

"Look…Master hand isn't really a people person. He deals with the organisation and paperwork of the mansion. All he knows is facts and figures and struggles to understand basic emotions." She leant in even closer so our noses were almost touching. "If you want the people person then talk to Crazy hand. He's Master hand's brother." She reiterated after my blank stare.

"Master hand has a brother?!"

"Shh!" She whispered, gesturing for me to keep my voice down. "We're not really supposed to talk about him."

"Why?"

"He's crazy."

"No kidding." We both laughed again. After this, Rosalina straightened up and said:

"I've taken up enough of your time, Robin. You have much preparation to do before tomorrow." I stood up, not wanting her to leave.

"But there aren't any books on Shulk in the library, I've checked. How can I at least try to give him a good match?"

"Just turn up and be yourself. That's the only thing you need to do." She turned away, heading towards the door. "He may win. You may win. The outcome doesn't matter but what does is that you fight with honour. Make him remember you." I considered this, stroking my chin. After little deliberation I knew she was right. But there was still something on my mind…

"…So the reason you came here…wasn't to talk about the rumours?" Her hand recoiled slowly from the doorknob which she was just about to turn.

"What makes you think that?" Her tone was even.

"W-well I-I just thought that…"

"That I was going to judge you based on rumours which may or may not be true?"

"…Well yeah…"

"Oh Robin…" She turned back around, her eyes heavy that for once showed her true years. With every sentence she spoke, she took a step closer. "I guard and protect the cosmos. I watch over it and all of its inhabitants tirelessly to keep them from harm. It isn't my place to judge those who I protect. The one I protect may do bad things on occasion but I don't let that cloud my outlook." She took my hands in her own. "It doesn't matter if what the other Robin said was true or not. I'm going to tell you something and if there's one thing you take away from your time here it's this." Her expression was deadly serious and she locked eyes with me.

"No one here will think any less of you. They won't judge you and they won't spite you. They will accept you for who you are. It doesn't matter who you like or what you feel if that liking turns into something more." She rested her head slowly on top of mine, closing her eyes. "They will accept you. Never forget that." I took a long, hard think about this, turning all of the words over and over in my mind, deciphering their meaning. After about a minute I came to my conclusion and raised my head to thank Rosalina for her words of wisdom. But to my shock she'd already left, fading out of my field of vision. I hadn't even properly thanked her.

**A/N: Well how about that? We finally find out what lengths Robin (M) has gone to to try to unravel Robin (F). Why do you thing the rumours hurt Robin (F) so much? Why does she object to the other Robin and Lucina being married? (You may have to have knowledge of Fire emblem awakening but it isn't necessary.) Once again Rosalina helps Robin and we find out Olimar has applied to change rooms (feeling guilty about the lack of sleep Robin is getting). Who is Robins new Roommate?**

**Where has Shulk gone that Rosalina can't see him? The next chapter covers the same time period but from Shulk's POV. (I know right?!) A whole chapter for all you Shulk fans! I wanted to have this chapter as a bit of a cool down after the match as Smash bros. isn't all about the fights, right? **

**Thanks to all you awesome people who have reviewed so far (you make my writing that much better with your support). Feel free to write another review if you want.**

**Until the next time, see you, pals! **


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